Rail Transport in India

Rail transport in India account for nearly 2/5^th of passenger traffic and 2/3^rd freight traffic in India. It is a State owned transporter working under a separate ministry called Ministry of Railways, Government of India.

Facts about Indian Railways

Indian railway system ranks fourth in the world after US, Russia and China. Indian railway network is world's second largest network under a single management after USA.

The first passenger train in India was run between Bori Bunder (Mumbai) and Thane on on 16th April, 1853 stretching a length of 34 km.

The Railway Board, which is under the supervision of Ministry of Railways, is looking after the management and administration of Indian Railways.

The complete rail network is divided into different zones. Each zone is being headed by a General Manager, who is accountable to the Railway Board.

The highest traffic of trains are running on network of Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. In order to relieve the burden, dedicated freight corridors are getting constructed.

Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor runs from Ludhiana in the state of Punjab to Dankuni near Kolkata. Western Dedicated Freight Corridor runs from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust near Mumbai to Dadri near Delhi.

Organizations Related to Railways

• Chittaranjan Locomotives Works, Chittaranjan, West Bengal
  
  
• Integral Coach Factory, Perambur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  
  
• Diesel Locomotive Factory, Marhowrah, Bihar
  
  
• Electric Locomotive Factory, Madhepura, Bihar
  
  
• Rail Wheel Plant, Bela, Saran district, Bihar
  
  
• Rail Wheel Factory, Bengaluru, Karnataka
  
  
• Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, Punjab
  
  
• Diesel Loco Modernisation Works, Patiala, Punjab
  
  
• Banaras Locomotive Works, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
  
  
• Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh
  
  
• National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR), Vadodara, Gujarat
  
  
• Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
  
  
• Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh

Railway Zones of India

There are 19 railway zones in India. They are

1. Northern Railway, New Delhi
   
   
2. North Eastern Railway, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
   
   
3. North Western Railway, Jaipur, Rajasthan
   
   
4. North Central Railway, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
   
   
5. North East Frontier Railway, Maligaon, Guwahati, Assam
   
   
6. Central Railway, Mumbai, Maharashtra
   
   
7. Western Railway, Mumbai CST, Maharashtra
   
   
8. Konkan Railway, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
   
   
9. West Central Railway, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
   
   
10. Eastern Railway, Kolkata, West Bengal
    
    
11. East Central Railway, Hajipur, Bihar
    
    
12. East Coast Railway, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
    
    
13. Southern Railway, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
    
    
14. South Eastern Railway, Kolkata, West Bengal
    
    
15. South Western Railway, Hubli, Karnataka
    
    
16. South Central Railway, Secunderabad, Telangana
    
    
17. South East Central Railway, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
    
    
18. Kolkata Metro, Kolkata, West Bengal
    
    
19. South Coast Railway, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh