Chennai

Railway commuters from Mettupalayam and Coimbatore on Thursday bid adieu to the decades-old diesel engine and welcomed MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit), equipped with modern facilities.

For over three decades, diesel engines were operated on the nearly 35-km route, the gateway to the tourist town Ooty (Udhagamandaam).

Bowing to the demand, the railways introduced MEMU, which would run four times a day between these stations, benefiting traders, office and school goers and also tourists.

The modern train with eight compartments, engines on both ends was designed and manufactured at the Integral Coach Facrory in Chennai.

The train has a seating capacity of 614 people and more than 1,700 standing passengers. Besides, it is equipped with speakers and surveillance cameras for safety, official sources said. The train chugged out of Mettupalayam at 8.30 AM, after special pooja was performed.

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