Trial run of redesigned railway coaches conducted along NMR line

Weight of each coach has been brought down by over 1.5 tonnes.

A trial run of the newly redesigned railway coaches that are set to be introduced along the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) line was conducted between Mettupalayam and Coonoor on Wednesday (September 30, 2026).

Officials from the Salem division of Southern Railways said that 28 of the redesigned coaches had been built at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Perambur, Chennai, and were scheduled to be introduced along the NMR line from 2021.

The coaches had been specially designed to meet the increasing tourist demand along the NMR route and featured panoramic windows, LED lights and other fixtures. However, during trial runs, the 15-tonne coaches were found to be putting a strain on the engines pulling the coaches uphill and it was decided to redesign the coaches.