Nilgiri Mountain Railway’s Udhagamandalam extension marks 118 years
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway extension from Coonoor to Udhagamandalam, opened on 15 October 1908, has completed 118 years.
Contextual image: Nilgiri Mountain Railway at Udhagamandalam station; not a photograph of a 118th-anniversary event. Photo: Rainer Halama / Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nilgiri_Mountain_Railway-Udhagamandalam_railway_station-WUS05944.jpg. Modification: resized only.
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway’s extension from Coonoor to Udhagamandalam completed 118 years on 15 October 2026.
The Mettupalayam–Coonoor section of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway opened to passenger traffic on 15 June 1899. Historical records say the extension from Coonoor to Udhagamandalam entered service on 15 October 1908.
Measured from that date, 15 October 2026 marked 118 years since the mountain railway reached Ooty. A new local report on the milestone was published on 16 October.
Why the line matters
- UNESCO describes the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as a roughly 46-km metre-gauge, single-track railway.
- Construction began in 1891 and was completed in 1908 after the difficult mountain terrain delayed the project.
- In July 2005, the Nilgiri line became part of the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage property.
- IRCTC’s heritage note places the Coonoor–Udhagamandalam extension at about 11¾ miles.
This report marks a historical anniversary. No official announcement confirming a separate anniversary ceremony was found, so the article does not claim that one took place.
Sources and image rights
New report: Dinakaran, 16 October 2026, 10:08 a.m. IST.
Official heritage checks: UNESCO World Heritage Centre; IRCTC Tourism — Nilgiri Mountain Railway; and Press Information Bureau — Rail Heritage Sites. Additional historical check for the 15 October 1908 date: Deccan Chronicle.
Image: Contextual photograph of Udhagamandalam station; it does not depict a 118th-anniversary event. Rainer Halama / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Modification: resized only.
