How to reach Coimbatore from Kodaikanal ?

rohit_hit

Hi ,

Can anybody please answer the following questions .

1. How far is Coimbatore from Kodaikanal ? How much time will it take ?
2. How much would be the approx fare if I were to rent a car ?
3. Are there any State transport buses that ply from Kodaikanal to Coimbatore ? Are there any buses that would take me to Coimbatore before 2pm ?


loads of thanks in advance ,
Rohit

passingby

I know I had the same problem two years ago in India. At that time there was no easy way to do that. There is no direct bus which will take you between two cities. you might have to stop in one or two places in between, but there is no direct bus or train that goes between the two places.

steven_ber

From memory....(I will double check later)

You get a bus down to Pilani (may be spelt Palani), this is said to be a VERY scenic bus journey and takes between 2 and 3 hours.

There is a metre gauge railway line from Palani to Coimbatore (or maybe Podanur station in Coimbatore), last time I checked there were about 3 trains a day between Madurai and Coimbatore via Palani.

I think the train takes about 4 hours.

__________________
.
How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions.



Train information.

radz

Hi
Kodaikanl to Palani 2hr+2hr from Palani to Covai.
Bus will be available ,Palani to Coimbatore very offten.


Radz

__________________
My Photo gallery

steven_ber

Trains from Palani to Coimbatore

Train 6708 departs Palani daily at 09:20 and gets to Coimbatore Jn at 12:15 (CC, II)

Train 778 departs Palani daily at 17:20 and gets to Coimbatore Jn at 20:20 (FC, II)


If you want to travel overnight, and/or want to get to the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, you may be better getting a bus from Kodaikanal direct to Madural (3 hours) then getting the following train.

Train 6716 departs Madurai daily at 22:50, then departs Palani at 01:40 and gets to Coimbatore Jn at 04:45 (2A, SL, II)

The Nilgiri Express departs Coimbatore Jn daily at 05:15 and gets to Mettupaliam at 06:15.

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway toy train (Train 662)departs Mettupaliam daily at 07:10 and gets to Udagamandalam (Ooty) at 12:00.

Then again, if I remember correctly, there is a direct bus from Kodaikanal to Ooty, can't remember how long it takes, but I would guess at least 10 hours.

rohit_hit

Thanks steven_ber , radz , passing_by for your replies.

I shall take the Palani route by road. I got to catch my return flight from Coimbatore at 3pm.

Any idea how much would it cost if i hire a cab ?

Eggcellent

"The Nilgiri Mountain Railway toy train (Train 662)departs Mettupaliam daily at 07:10 and gets to Udagamandalam (Ooty) at 12:00."

HEY, we're in the south at the moment. LEaving Kanyikumari tomorrow for Kerala. Hoping to catch the train you metioned- ay ideas if its still running? Or any changes?

Thanks

monickam

Funny I'm taking exactly the same route on the 13th of August. I will leave Kodaikanal to Palani and try and reach Mettupalayam by late evening so I can rest there for the night and catch the Nilgiris toy train next morning at 7 am - too much of a hassle catching the train at Coimbatore around 5 am.

Eggcellent, I have reservations for the train. So I reckon its still running.

steven_ber

This thread is a few years old.

Are you sure?

As far as I'm aware, the metre gauge track has been closed and is being converted to broad gauge, I've not been keeping up with the rail news feeds for the last 2 months, so the track may have been re-opened as a broad gauge track, but thatg would have been very fast work, something Indian Railways isn't known to do well.

What's the train number and date of travel.

BTW. even if the line is closed, just get a bus to Dindigul and another bus (or train) to Coimbatore, trains from Dindigul have another route to Coimbatore.

monickam

I meant the Nilgiris train from mettupalayam to ooty (no. 662) on 14th august morning, steven. i have 2 waitlisted tickets (w/l 2,3) since eggcellent had quoted that train from your previous old post.

The exact route I mentioned was that of the OP, by road upto coimbatore. sorry for the confusion.

theshutterbug

Hey Monickam,
I am planning the same dates ?
But i hear that the reservation is full ?
How crowded is the 2nd class from first class

My trip is going to be more of a Nature photography trip so wot class is the best ? will there be too much rains to spoil the photography ?

Also steven has thrown in the ball that the route seems closed.
Any confirmation on the same ?

Thanks

__________________
------
Never give up
My India Travel Pics

steven_ber

The Palani-Coimbatore route is closed.

The Mettupaliyam-Ooty route is working as normal.

The Ooty train was crowded in 2nd class when I used the train, however, that was probibly 6 years ago, the queue may have gone by now.

monickam

Hello shutterbug, you should really be travelling by first class as it is too crowded in the second. The cost of a first class ticket is rs. 142 per head from mettupalayam to ooty. Even in the first class you would have just enough place to sit but not move around. If you get a window seat maybe you could get great views for your camera. But the problem is the availability of tickets since my bookings have yet to be confirmed (waitlisted 2 & 3 for August 14th) though I booked two months ago.

About the rains, expect some rain during your stay. I have been only once before to Ooty (in early Sept 2005). We did have good sightseeing weather during the day and mild precipitation in the evenings.