Landslide delays Nilgiri Mountain Rail service by 3 hrs

Nearly 180 tourists travelling by the famous Nilgiri Mountain Rail service were stranded for about three hours near Hillgrove station this morning following a landslide on the track, railway sources said.

A huge boulder and loose soil fell on the track at a spot, displacing the train's rack and pinion system and blocking its movement, they said.

The train had started from Mettupalayam around 7.15 AM.

A few workers brought in from Coonoor, about 11 km from the spot, removed the boulder and soil and repaired the system after a nearly two-hour attempt, they said.

The train later left Hillgrove and was expected to reach Coonoor around 1.30 PM, a delay of more than three hours, the sources said.