Ooty: On Saturday in the hills, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) Day was celebrated traditional fervour and enthusiasm with the railway administration and the Heritage Steam Chariot Trust (HSCT), an organization of NMR aficionados, joining to commemorate the 108th anniversary of this unique rail infrastructure.
Dr P. Sankar, collector of Nilgiris, led the celebrations at the railway station here by cutting a cake, garlanded a couple of foreign passengers, honored the NMR staff and distributed sweets to passengers who arrived at the station by Saturday noon by an NMR trip.
Calling for action to operate more NMR services between the racked Coonoor and Mettupalayam sector of the NMR instead of a single daily up-and-down trip in a day, Mr S. Janardhanan, president of the Ooty Town Public Awareness Association, said that the NMR is the perfect platform for train-based heritage tourism.
The railways should also set up an NMR museum in Ooty railway station yard to make it an added tourist attraction, he suggested.
