Renowned as the Silicon Valley of India and the capital of Karnataka, Bangalore is the third largest city of India. If you are planning for an excursion to the famed hill station of Ooty and want to travel from Bangalore then you can choose different options to reach the quaint place.
The distance between Bangalore and Ooty is 270 km and it would take around 6 hours 40 minutes to reach Ooty by road. There is no direct train from Bangalore to Ooty. You can travel to Ooty through Mysore by boarding the Basava Express from Bangalore to Mysore and then taking a cab or bus from Mysore to Ooty.
You can travel either by road, rail or air from Bangalore to Coimbatore as both the cities are well connected with all the three modes of transportation. Coimbatore is located 87 km from Ooty and there are several buses from Coimbatore to Ooty. But if you want to travel by train then you need to travel from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam and from there you can board the Nilgiri Mountain Railway to reach Ooty.
Nilgiri Mountain Railways
The Railway line laid in the nineteenth century is the major tourist attraction today. A true example of the astounding engineering feat built by the Britishers for their quest to visit the hill station, it has been recognised as a World Heritage Site in India by UNESCO in July 2005.
Train Schedule
From Bangalore to Ooty
If you want to travel by train from Bangalore to Ooty then, you have five express trains that run daily from Bangalore to Coimbatore. You can even take other long distance trains however they run only on selective days of the week.
To travel from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam you can take the 12671 Nilgiri Blue Mountain Express at 5:20 am in the morning which reaches Mettupalayam at 6:15 am and further journey can be covered with 06136 Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam train that leaves at 7:10 am from Mettupalayam and reaches Ooty at 11:55 am.
Return Journey Ooty to Bangalore
For the return journey by train you can board the 06137 Udagamandalam to Mettupalayam toy train that departs from Udhagamandalam at 14:00 hours and reaches Mettupalayam at 17:30. Connecting with its arrival time, the 12672 Nilgiri Mountain Railways departs from Mettupalayam at 21:20 to reach Coimbatore at 22:15 hours. Once you reach Coimbatore you can take any of the daily five express trains or the long distance trains that run on selective days between Coimbatore and Bangalore.
Train Class & No. Of Seats
06136 Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam & 06137 Udagamandalam to Mettupalayam
- First Class: 16 Seats
- Second Sitting: 214 Seats
- Unreserved/General
Train Booking
Reservations for the toy train can be made through the Indian Railways website www.irctc.co.in. It is recommended that you book your tickets online 2-3 months in advance as the toy train ride is a major tourist attraction and as such there is a huge demand for the scenic railway voyage. The train has first class, second sitting and unreserved coaches. If you do not get tickets online try to reach early by an hour at the railway station to buy your tickets.
Things to note
- No restrooms in toy trains use them at Railway Station before boarding.
- Not more than 4 tickets per person at the booking window.
- Huge Crowd on holidays/weekends and during the peak season.
- Book at least two to three months in advance.
- There is no catering service in the toy train hence do pack your Tiffin boxes.
Travelling aboard the toy train would leave you with everlasting memories of the panoramic views witnessed during the journey.
