Interesting Facts to Know About the Nilgiri Express

Nilgiri Express was started on March 15, 1929 for travelers to and from the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu. It serves as a link between the capital city of Tamil Nadu, Chennai and Nilgiri hill towns. Nilgiri Express offers the easiest and most efficient way to reach the towns of Ooty, Coonoor, and Kotagiri from Chennai. Mettupalayam, which is the terminating point of this train lies at the foot of Nilgiri hills. Nilagiri Express links to the Nilgiri passenger train which starts from Mettupalayam thus enabling passengers to complete their journey to Udagamandalam, popularly known as Ooty, by rail. Apart from that, Mettupalayam is also well connected to different parts of Nilgiri hills by road which makes Nilagiri Express quite popular among tourists and locals as well.Now enjoy the scenic beauty of hills and mountains with delicious food served hot from restaurants at your seat. RailRestro offers online food ordering in trains so that your journey will not only be a happy one for your heart but also for your stomach.

Get ready to explore some interesting facts about Nilagiri Express:

• Till 1997-98, Nilgiri Express had a dark blue colored rake with white stripes above and below windows to distinguish it from other trains. After the introduction of vacuum brakes in trains, the rake color also changed. So, now this train has the same color as other Mail/Express trains.
• Although, Nilgiri Express does not enter into the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu, you can book seats and berths for many towns of Nilgiri including Ooty, Coonoor, Wellington, Aruvankadu, Ketti, Kotagiri, and Gudalur. This is done because many of the hill towns of Nilgiri do not have any rail connectivity.
• Between Chennai Central and Coimbatore Jn, Nilagiri Express is hauled by an Erode/Arakkonam WAP-4 or Royapuram WAP-7 electric locomotive. There is a loco reversal at Coimbatore Jn.
• The electrification work of the 38 km long section of Coimbatore to Mettupalayam was completed recently in 2015. So, now the same locomotive is used to haul Nilgiri Express in this section.

Nilgiri Express – An Overview
This train is named after the Nilgiri (Nil – Blue; giri – Mountain) Hills. Also known as Blue Mountain SF Express, Neelagiri Express is a daily run train belonging to Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways. It runs between Chennai Central and Mettupalayam, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. The total distance between these two stations is 570 km which this train covers in 9 hours and 20 minutes. The average speed of this train is 57 km/hr and stops at a total of 7 stations on its journey. Neelagiri Express encompasses a total of 24 coaches including 1 Tier-1 AC coach, 2 Tier-2 AC coaches, 6 Tier-3 AC coaches, 10 Sleeper coaches, and 2 unreserved coaches.

Nilgiri Express is an important train between Chennai and Coimbatore. If you are planning to go to hill stations on a vacation, then you can take this train to reach Mettupalayam. From there, you can hire a taxi to reach different Nilgiri hill towns. Alternatively, you can ride on Nilgiri passenger train operated by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) to reach towns such as Coonoor, Kotagiri, Lovedale, and Aruvankadu.

• Train Name: Nilgiri Express (Blue Mountain Superfast Express)
• Train Number: 12671(Up) / 12672(Down)
• Source Station: MGR Chennai Central (MAS)
• End Station: Mettupalayam (MTP)
• En Route Stops: 7 (Arakkonam Jn, Katpadi Jn, Salem Jn, Erode Jn, Tiruppur, Coimbatore North, Coimbatore Main Jn)
• Distance Travelled: 530km
• Average Journey Time: 9 hour 20 minutes
• Service Frequency: Daily
• Train Type: Superfast
• Rake/Zone: Southern Railways

For all the train related information like live running status and PNR enquiry, you can download the Railrestro app from Playstore or App Store. Looking for 12671 train schedule? You can easily check the nilgiri express timing and nilgiri express route on the Railrestro app and website. Apart from that, various information like 12671 train seat availability, 12671 train route, and Nilgiri Express live status can easily be checked on Railrestro website and app. Prior to ticket booking in Neelagiri Express, always remember to check nilagiri express train timings with one click on Railrestro.

• Nilgiri Express Train Schedule
• Departs from: MGR Chennai Central (MAS)
• Departs at: 20:55
• Departs from Platform Number: 9
• Arrives To: Mettupalayam (MTP)
• Arrives At: 06:15
• Arrives on Platform No: 1

Stops and Distances Covered

• Chennai Central (0 km)
• Arakkonam Junction (69 km)
• Katpadi Junction (130 km)
• Salem Junction (334 km)
• Erode Junction (396 km)
• Tiruppur (446 km)
• Coimbatore North Junction (494 km)
• Coimbatore Junction (497 km)
• Mettupalayam (532 km)

Recommended Read:Purushottam Express (12801): Train Schedule, Fare Details, and Food Options

Note: Above fares are listed for complete journey viz. from Chennai Central to Mettupalayam.

Order Food in Nilgiri Express
As of today, Neelagiri Express does not have a pantry car facility in it. So if you are travelling in this train or planning to travel in the near future, you can use the e-catering facility provided by Railrestro which is an official partner of IRCTC. Railrestro provides a simple and one stop solution for getting food right at your seat during your journey. You can order fresh and delicious food online from top restaurants nearby while travelling in train.
Passengers can order food in Nilgiri Express at following stations:
Salem Jn
Coimbatore Jn

If you are not able to order food because of Internet issues, then give us a call on 8102888111 and share your journey details. We will make sure to deliver your order as soon as the train reaches the station.

Still facing problems while ordering food from us? Read our detailed guide here: How Can You Order Food while Traveling by Train?