Coimbatore : The first formation of one rake comprising four new all stainless steel coaches for the Nilgiris Mountain Rail (NMR) have been just rolled out from Integral Coach Factory (ICF) and are on their way to Mettupalayam, near here, by rail.

The coaches that are being used at the UNESCO Heritage NMR running on Mettupalayam-Coonoor route,are more than four decades old and have been refurbished and retrofitted time and again.

For the first time, ICF has come forward and took up the task of designing and developing new age steel bodied coaches for the Heritage NMR Railway system and totally 15 coaches are being planned to be manufactured by ICF.

Of these 12 coaches will make three rakes comprising one first class, two second class seater and one luggage-cum-passenger car formation, each, a Southern Railway release said.

The remaining three coaches will be spare ones in case of any replacement needs, it said.

NMR is one of the oldest Railway Systems in Indian Railways dating as back as 1899. This 120-year old Hill Railways is unique in many ways including the pinion and racked meter gauge track between Mettupalayam and Coonoor that
boasts of coaches being hauled by nostalgic X Class Steam Locos albeit with a modern tech added to it.

The train has total seating capacity of 146,with. First class 32 seats, 2 second 44 seats each, one second Class Luggage Van (SLR) 26 seats with a separate space for PWD (persons with disability) passengers to place their wheel chair and sit in it.