OOTY: Thursday, October 15, will be special day in the annals of the Nilgiris as the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR), the lone mountain railway in the country that runs on the 19th century techno-wonder ‘rack-and-pinion’ train track that made NMR a very special attraction, celebrates its 118th anniversary generally known as NMR Day.
While the NMR train traverses through the hills, valleys, clouds, mists, tea gardens, woods, rivers and what not, it provides a rare magical journey of slow travel and unforgettable and unparalleled views amidst the scenic surroundings wherein enjoying every yard matters.
The NMR train, fondly known as ‘Ooty toy train’ is a slow-motion charm with vintage appeal.
Ever since NMR was conferred the World Heritage Site status in 2005, its popularity began to soar that is evidenced by the huge patronage by tourists and special rides being organised in NMR. It is true that for the new millennium tourists to the Nilgiris, their visit to the queen of hill stations would be incomplete without a ride in the NMR train as the journey in the train hauled by steam locomotive in the racked section between Coonoor and Kallar, near Mettupalayam, in the foothills of the Nilgiris, will take the passengers to train journeys in the 19th century.
K. Natarajan, founder of the Heritage Steam Chariot Trust – an organisation of NMR aficionados who spearheaded the campaign and movement for the World Heritage Site status for NMR that began in the mid-1990s, said still a lot more has to be done to popularise heritage tourism on wheels in NMR to charm more global tourists to the Nilgiris by making NMR a global destination for steam heritage train tourism to enhance the heritage tourism-based revenue.
Natarajan said that it was time to transform NMR into a world-renowned destination for steam train tourism by promoting sustainable tourism, enhancing visitor experiences, creating educational opportunities and generating additional revenue.
NMR is more than a railway as it is a living heritage that represents the engineering excellence, history and natural beauty of the Nilgiris. Through focused initiatives, stakeholder collaboration and innovative tourism strategies, NMR can become a global benchmark for heritage railway tourism.
To make NMR ‘Global Heritage Steam Train Tourism Destination’, implementing a clean and green NMR initiative is essential to develop a clean, green and eco-friendly environment across all the NMR railway stations. This apart, creating a ‘friendly NMR’ approach is essential by creating a welcoming and visitor-friendly environment for domestic and international tourists.
Training railway personnel to provide courteous, informative and tourist-oriented services, introduction of multilingual information boards highlighting the history and significance of NMR, encouraging local cultural activities and hospitality initiatives will provide visitors with a memorable experience of the friendly NMR approach.
“Strengthening coordination among NMR, the ministry of railways, ministry of tourism, the Government of Tamil Nadu and relevant tourism departments is another essential part, besides encouraging joint tourism promotion initiatives to attract domestic and international visitors. Integration of NMR into Tamil Nadu’s broader tourism circuits, connecting Ooty and Coonoor with other major attractions in the Nilgiris and exploring tourism development schemes, heritage promotion initiatives and opportunities for collaborative funding should be undertaken. Promotion of NMR through national and international tourism fairs, campaigns, travel operators and digital platforms with the objective of establishing NMR as a flagship heritage tourism attraction of Tamil Nadu and India should be undertaken,” he suggested.
This apart, organising weekend events across the Ooty–Coonoor railway corridor by developing station-specific themes, based on local culture, railway heritage, Nature and regional traditions, and holding heritage exhibitions, photography events, local handicraft displays, cultural programmes, educational activities, encouraging local entrepreneurs, artisans, tourism operators and self-help groups to participate, and exploring special, heritage-themed experiences at select stations, subject to operational feasibility and railway safety requirements, should be done to further promote heritage tourism on wheels in NMR which is a pride of the country, Natarajan added.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
