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Indian Geography / Transportation in India

Rail Transport in India


    Rail transport in India account for nearly 2/5th of passenger traffic and 2/3rd 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

    • Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO), Lucknow

    • Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Gwalior

    • Chittaranjan Locomotives Works, West Bengal

    • Integral Coach Factory, Perambur, Chennai

    • Rail Wheel Factory, Bengaluru

    • Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, Punjab

    • Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi

    • National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR), Vadodara

    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