One of the most iconic stops along the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) - the Ketti Railway Station, known for its idyllic beauty and for being featured in many famous movies in the past, is being renovated after sustaining heavy structural damage during last year’s rain in the Nilgiris.
The railway station, located a few km outside the Udhagamandalam town and in the Ketti valley, is known for being featured in iconic Kollywood movies. To take advantage of its charm and its popularity, the Salem division of the Southern Railways also incorporated the railway station into its “joy ride” package, where special trains were arranged to carry tourists from Udhagamandalam to Ketti, to provide a small taste to tourists of what it is like to travel the entire NMR route.
During the heavy rain that hit the district in August of 2019, three eucalyptus trees from among the plantations surrounding the railway station uprooted and fell on top of the railway station, damaging the main structure of the building, including the roof. “There are plenty of equipment vital for the functioning of the line inside the building, so it has been decided to re-tile the entire roof,” said an official from the Salem division of Southern Railways.
“Apart from re-tiling the roof, works will be taken up to renovate the platform as well as the fencing surrounding the railway station,” said an official from the railways, adding that the renovation work will have no impact on the trains passing through the station when services resume.
“We expect the work to be completed in a couple of months time,” said the official. The renovation is expected to cost a little less than ₹ 1 crore.
