Trial run of rail bus between Mettupalayam and Kallar
Southern Railway, Salem Division, has proposed to conduct the trial run of the self-propelled rail bus on a 9.2-km stretch from Mettupalayam to Kallar and back on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Southern Railway is planning to operate a 30-seat rail bus on the Coonoor – Udhagamandalam section and a rail bus withdrawn from service in South Central Railway was brought to Mettupalayam on November 9 for the purpose.
The rail bus cannot be operated on the rack and pinion system that exists between Kallar and Coonoor section of the NMR. Hence, it will be used on the Coonoor – Udhagamandalam section as a shuttle service.
The trial run is to check the feasibility of the rail bus, especially in manoeuvring the narrow curves and tunnels on the NMR section. Once found feasible, the rail bus will be sent to the Golden Rock Workshop at Tiruchirapalli to get it completely refurbished before launching the service. In the next phase, the trial run would be held on the Coonoor – Udhagamandalam section, officials said.
