Mettupalayam railway station

Mettupalayam railway station (station code: MTP[3]) is an NSG–4 category Indian railway station in Salem railway division of Southern Railway zone.[4] It is a railway station located in Mettupalayam, a suburb of Coimbatore district in the Indian state Tamil Nadu. It is one of the important railway stations located in the Coimbatore District,[5] because the Nilgiri Mountain Railway to the hill station of Ooty starts from here. It is the connection between the metre-gauge Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the broad-gauge main network of Indian Railways. It recently celebrated its 150th anniversary.[6]

Mettupalayam junction
Indian Railways station
General information
LocationMettupalayam, Coimbatore
Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates11°17′56″N 76°56′08″E / 11.2989°N 76.9355°E / 11.2989; 76.9355
Owned byIndian Railways[1]
Line(s)Coimbatore–Mettupalayam line
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Platforms3 Side platforms[2]
Tracks3 electrified broad gauge, 1 metre gauge
Construction
ParkingAvailable
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Other information
StatusFunctioning
Station codeMTP
Zone(s) Southern Railway zone
Division(s) Salem
Fare zoneSouthern Railway zone
History
Opened1873; 151 years ago (1873)
Closed1903
Rebuilt1973
ElectrifiedYes (broad gauge only)
Passengers
1.55 crores
Services
5
Location
Mettupalayam junction is located in India
Mettupalayam junction
Mettupalayam junction
Location within India
Mettupalayam junction is located in Tamil Nadu
Mettupalayam junction
Mettupalayam junction
Mettupalayam junction (Tamil Nadu)

The Grand Trunk Express operated from Mettupalayam to Peshawar from 15 October 1929 and was extended to Lahore from 1 March 1930. Later that year, on 1 September 1930, it was changed to New Delhi to Chennai, which remains the case till today.[7][8] The Tea Garden Express ran in metre gauge between Ooty and Mettupalayam and broad gauge between Mettupalayam and Cochin Harbour Terminus.[9][10] Post-Indian independence, the Ooty–Mettupalayam trip was cut off, and the train ran as No. 565/566 between Cochin Harbour Terminus and Mettupalayam since the 1970s.[11][12] Today the Nilgiri Express (also known as the Blue Mountain Express) covers Chennai to Mettupalayam and acts as the link to Ooty. Nilgiri Express used to be the main portion of Bangalore Mail,[13] Island Express, Malabar Express and Mumbai–Coimbatore (through coach bifurcate/amalgamate to Chennai–Mumbai Mail).[14]

The Mettupalayam junction to Ooty passenger train (56136) only departs from Mettupalayam after the arrival of Nilgiri Express (12671) at Mettupalayam.[15]

Projects and development

edit

It is one of the 73 stations in Tamil Nadu to be named for upgradation under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme of Indian Railways.[16]

Awards and achievements

edit

In 2019, the station was granted ISO–14001 certification for complying with National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives.[17]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "[IRFCA] Indian Steam Railway Society Article". www.irfca.org.
  2. ^ Service, Express News (26 March 2024). "Tamil Nadu: Rs 24 crore facelift for Mettupalayam and Karamadai stations". The New Indian Express. Coimbatore. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Station Code Index" (PDF). Portal of Indian Railways. Centre For Railway Information Systems. 2023–24. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  4. ^ "SOUTHERN RAILWAY LIST OF STATIONS AS ON 01.04.2023 (CATEGORY- WISE)" (PDF). Portal of Indian Railways. Centre For Railway Information Systems. 1 April 2023. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  5. ^ Palaniappan, V.S. (15 March 2012). "Associations demand extra coaches in Coimbatore – Mettupalayam train". The Hindu.
  6. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (5 September 2023). "'Muted' 150th year celebration of Mettupalayam Railway Station disappoints local public". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 February 2024. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ "VIII". Report by the Railway board on Indian Railways for 1929-30:Volume I. Calcutta: Central Publication Branch, Government of India. 1930. p. 71.
  8. ^ S. Shankar. "Classic Trains of India". Indian Railways Fan Club Association. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  9. ^ "1931_Mettupalaiyam___Podanur___Madras".
  10. ^ "1955_Madras___Ernakulam_Abstract".
  11. ^ "Brad_60_Apr_p23".
  12. ^ "A trip to Historic Cochin Harbour Terminus Station Ernakulam - Aanavandi Travel Blog".
  13. ^ "1931 Madras - Trivandrum Abstract".
  14. ^ "Nilgiri Railway (India) No 944 bis". whc.unesco.org.
  15. ^ "Table 6: Coimbatore - Mettupalayam - Udhagamandalam & #124; Chainage Documents - IRFCA.org". www.irfca.org.
  16. ^ "AMRIT BHARAT STATIONS". Press Information Bureau. New Delhi. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  17. ^ ISO, Salem. "Salem junction gets ISO 14001 certification". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 July 2020.