India’s slowest train completes 46 km journey in 5 hours, its top speed is…, it travels between…
India’s slowest train: In a generation where we mostly talk about fastest trains of India and abroad, here is a discussion about India’s slowest train. You will be amazed to know that India’s slowest train takes 5 hours to cover a total distance of 46 km. We are talking about the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. Running on the Nilgiri Mountains of Tamil Nadu, the train runs between Mettupalayam and Ooty. Running between Mettupalayam and Ooty, the train moves at an average speed of 9 km per hour and takes 5 hours to cover a distance of 46 km. Here’s all you need to know about the train and its top speed.
History of India’s slowest train
India is proud to host state-of-the-art semi high-speed trains including Vande Bharat, providing top-tier comfort for travellers. Besides these, India also runs a number of Jansadharan Express trains, with a particular focus on supporting those who are economically less privileged. While talk often revolves around the country’s fastest trains, it’s worth noting that the leisurely pace of our slowest train garners attention too. The railway line started in 1854 but was completed and opened for traffic in June 1899.
Why is the train so slow?
The entire rail route of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway between Mettupalayam and Ooty is located on the mountains. Thr railway line is a meter gauge rail route. Therefore, the train has to be run at a very slow speed on this route. Also, during its journey, the train passes through a total of 16 tunnels, 250 bridges and 208 dangerous curves.
“The Maximum permissible speed on Mettupalaiyam-Kallar and Coonoor-Udagamandalam “Non-Rack” system is 30 while between Kallar and Coonoor “RACK” section the maximum permissible speed is 13 kmph.The region covered by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway gets rainfall during the south-west and north-east monsoons. The average rainfall is of the order of 1250 mm at Udagamandalam, 1400 mm at Coonoor and 500 mm at Mettupalaiyam. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway keeps chugging despite the downpour”, the official website of the IRCTC Tourism said.