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This article is about the organisation. For general information on railways in India, see Rail transport in India.

Indian Railways
Native name
भारतीय रेल
Bhāratīya Rel
Company typeState-owned
IndustryRailways
Founded16 April 1853 (171 years ago) (1853-04-16)[1]
Headquarters
New Delhi
,
India
Area served
India
Key people
ServicesPassenger railways
Freight services
Parcel carrier
Catering and Tourism Services
Parking lot operations
Other related services
RevenueIncrease ₹1.709 trillion (US$20 billion)[2] (2015–16)
Increase ₹105.02 billion (US$1.3 billion) (2015–16)
OwnerGovernment of India
Number of employees
1.335 million[3] (2014)
ParentMinistry of Railways through Railway Board
Divisions16 Railway Zones
Subsidiaries
Websitewww.indianrail.gov.in
indianrailways.gov.in
Indian Railways
Schematic network map of the Indian Railways
Map of Indian Railways network with population density
Overview
Reporting markIR
LocaleIndia
Dates of operation16 April 1853 (1853-04-16)–Present
Technical
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
762 mm (2 ft 6 in)
610 mm (2 ft)
Length68,048 kilometres (42,283 mi) (route)[4]
115,000 kilometres (71,000 mi) (track)

Indian Railways (reporting mark IR) is a state-owned railway company, responsible for rail transport in India. It is owned and operated by the Government of India through the Ministry of Railways. It is one of the world's largest railway networks comprising 115,000 km (71,000 mi) of track over a route of 67,312 km (41,826 mi) and 7,112 stations.[3] In 2015-16, IR carried 8.101 billion passengers annually or more than 22 million passengers a day and 1.107 billion tons of freight in the year. In 2014–2015 Indian Railways had revenues of ₹1.709 trillion (US$20 billion) which consists of ₹1.118 trillion (US$13 billion) from freight and ₹451.26 billion (US$5.4 billion) from passengers tickets.[2]

Railways were first introduced to India in the year 1853 from Mumbai to Thane. In 1951 the systems were nationalised as one unit, the Indian Railways, becoming one of the largest networks in the world. IR operates both long distance and suburban rail systems on a multi-gauge network of broad, metre and narrow gauges. It also owns locomotive and coach production facilities at several places in India, with assigned codes identifying their gauge, kind of power and type of operation. Its operations cover twenty six states and two union territories across India, and also has international connectivity to Bangladesh (with Bangladesh Railway) and Pakistan (with Pakistan Railways).

Indian Railways is the world's seventh largest commercial or utility employer, by number of employees, with over 1.376 million employees as of last published figures in 2013. IR's rolling stock comprises over 245,267 Freight Wagons, 66,392 Passenger Coaches and 10,499 Locomotives (43 steam, 5,633 diesel and 4,823 electric locomotives).[3] The trains have a 5 digit numbering system and runs 12,617 passenger trains and 7,421 freight trains daily.[5] As of 31 March 2016, 27,999 km (17,398 mi) (41.59%) of the total 67,312 km (41,826 mi) route length was electrified.[4] Since 1960, almost all electrified sections on IR use 25,000 Volt AC traction through overhead catenary of delivery.

History

Main article: History of rail transport in India

The history of rail transport in India began in the mid-nineteenth century. The core of the pressure for building Railways In India came from London. In 1848, there was not a single kilometer of railway line in India. The country's first railway, built by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR), opened in 1853, between Bombay and Thane.[6] The East Indian Railway Company was established 1 June 1845 in London by a deed of settlement with a capital of £4,000,000, largely raised in London.[7] The Great Southern India Railway Co. was founded in Britain in 1853 and registered in 1859. Construction of track in Madras Presidency began in 1859 and the 80-mile link from Trichinopoly to Negapatam was opened in 1861. The Carnatic Railway founded in 1864, opened a Madras-Arakkonam-Kancheepuram line in 1865. The Great Southern India Railway Company was subsequently merged with the Carnatic Railway Company in 1874 to form the South Indian Railway Company.[8][9]

A British engineer, Robert Maitland Brereton, was responsible for the expansion of the railways from 1857 onwards. The Allahabad-Jabalpur branch line of the East Indian Railway had been opened in June 1867. Brereton was responsible for linking this with the GIPR, resulting in a combined network of 6,400 km (4,000 mi). Hence it became possible to travel directly from Bombay to Calcutta. This route was officially opened on 7 March 1870 and it was part of the inspiration for French writer Jules Verne's book Around the World in Eighty Days. At the opening ceremony, the Viceroy Lord Mayo concluded that "it was thought desirable that, if possible, at the earliest possible moment, the whole country should be covered with a network of lines in a uniform system".[10]

By 1875, about £95 million were invested by British companies in India.[11] By 1880 the network had a route mileage of about 14,500 km (9,000 mi), mostly radiating inward from the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. By 1895, India had started building its own locomotives, and in 1896, sent engineers and locomotives to help build the Uganda Railways.

In 1900, the GIPR became a government owned company. The network spread to the modern day states of Assam, Rajputhana and Madras Presidency and soon various autonomous kingdoms began to have their own rail systems. In 1905, an early Railway Board was constituted, but the powers were formally vested under Lord Curzon.[12] It served under the Department of Commerce and Industry and had a government railway official serving as chairman, and a railway manager from England and an agent of one of the company railways as the other two members. For the first time in its history, the Railways began to make a profit.

In 1907 almost all the rail companies were taken over by the government. The following year, the first electric locomotive made its appearance. With the arrival of World War I, the railways were used to meet the needs of the British outside India. With the end of the war, the railways were in a state of disrepair and collapse. Large scale corruption by British officials involved in the running of these railways companies was rampant. Profits were never reinvested in the development of British colonial India.[13] In 1920, with the network having expanded to 61,220 km (38,040 mi),[14] a need for central management was mooted by Sir William Acworth. Based on the East India Railway Committee chaired by Acworth, the government took over the management of the Railways and detached the finances of the Railways from other governmental revenues.

The period between 1920 and 1929 was a period of economic boom; there were 41,000 mi (66,000 km) of railway lines serving the country; the railways represented a capital value of some 687 million sterling; and they carried over 620 million passengers and approximately 90 million tons of goods each year.[15] Following the Great Depression, the railways suffered economically for the next eight years. The Second World War severely crippled the railways. Starting in 1939, about 40% of the rolling stock including locomotives and coaches was taken to the Middle East. The railways workshops were converted to ammunitions workshops and many railway tracks were dismantled to help the Allies in the war. By 1946, all rail systems had been taken over by the government.

Organisational structure

Main article: Indian Railway organisational structure

The apex management organisation is the Railway Board, also called the Ministry of Railways. The board is headed by a Chairman who reports to the Minister of Railways. The board has five other members in addition to the chairman. The General Managers of the zonal railways and the production units report to the board.

Financial issues

Indian Railways is cash strapped and reported a loss of ₹300 billion (US$3.6 billion) in the passenger segment for the year ending March 2014. Operating ratio, a key metric used by Indian railways to gauge financial health, is 91.8% in the year 2014–15. Railways carry a social obligation of over ₹200 billion (US$2.4 billion). The loss per passenger-km increased to 23 paise (0.28¢ US) by the end of March 2014. Indian Railways is left with a surplus cash of just ₹6.9 billion (US$83 million) by the end of March 2014.[16]

It was estimated in 2014 that over ₹5 trillion (US$60 billion) is required to complete the ongoing projects alone. The railway is consistently losing market share to other modes of transport both in freight and passengers.[17]

New railway line projects are often announced during the Railway Budget annually without securing additional funding for them. Between 2004 and 2014, 99 New Line projects worth ₹600 billion (US$7.2 billion) were sanctioned out of which only one project is complete till date, and there are four projects that are as old as 30 years, but are still not complete for one reason or another.[5]

Railway zones

Further information: Zones and divisions of Indian Railways

Indian Railways is divided into 17 zones,[18] which are further sub-divided into divisions. The number of zones in Indian Railways increased from six to eight in 1951, nine in 1966 and sixteen in 2003.[19][20] Each zonal railway is made up of a certain number of divisions, each having a divisional headquarters. There are a total of sixty-eight divisions.[21][22]

Each zone is headed by a general manager, who reports directly to the Railway Board. The zones are further divided into divisions, under the control of divisional railway managers (DRM). The divisional officers, of engineering, mechanical, electrical, signal and telecommunication, accounts, personnel, operating, commercial, security and safety branches, report to the respective Divisional Railway Manager and are in charge of operation and maintenance of assets. Further down the hierarchy tree are the station masters, who control individual stations and train movements through the track territory under their stations' administration.

The chart below briefly depicts the Indian Railway's zones, Route Km, number of stations and divisions.

Sl. No Name of the Railway zone Abbr. Route length
(in Km)		 Number of Stations Zone Headquarters Railway Divisions
1. Northern Railway NR 6968 1142 Delhi Delhi,[23] Ambala,[24] Firozpur,[25] Lucknow NR,[26] Moradabad[27]
2. North Eastern Railway NER 3667 537 Gorakhpur Izzatnagar,[28] Lucknow NER,[29] Varanasi[30]
3. Northeast Frontier Railway NFR 3907 690 Guwahati Alipurduar, Katihar, Rangiya, Lumding, Tinsukia[31]
4. Eastern Railway ER 2414 576 Kolkata Howrah,[32] Sealdah,[33] Asansol,[34] Malda [35]
5. South Eastern Railway SER 2631 353 Kolkata Adra,[36] Chakradharpur,[37] Kharagpur,[38] Ranchi[39]
6. South Central Railway SCR 5803 883 Secunderabad Secunderabad,[40] Hyderabad,[41] Vijayawada,[42]Guntakal,[43] Guntur,[44] Nanded[45]
7. Southern Railway SR 5098 890 Chennai Chennai,[46] Tiruchirappalli,[47] Madurai,[48] Palakkad,[49] Salem,[50] Thiruvananthapuram[51]
8. Central Railway CR 3905 612 Mumbai Mumbai,[52] Bhusawal,[53] Pune,[54] Solapur,[55] Nagpur[56]
9. Western Railway WR 6182 1046 Mumbai Mumbai WR,[57] Ratlam,[58] Ahmedabad, Rajkot,[59] Bhavnagar,[60] Vadodara[61]
10. South Western Railway SWR 3177 456 Hubballi Hubballi,[62] Bengaluru,[63] Mysuru,[64]
11. North Western Railway NWR 5459 663 Jaipur Jaipur,[65] Ajmer,[66] Bikaner,[67] Jodhpur [68]
12. West Central Railway WCR 2965 372 Jabalpur Jabalpur,[69] Bhopal,[70] Kota[71]
13. North Central Railway NCR 3151 435 Allahabad Allahabad,[72] Agra,[73] Jhansi [74]
14. South East Central Railway SECR 2447 358 Bilaspur Bilaspur,[75] Raipur,[76] Nagpur SEC[77]
15. East Coast Railway ECoR 2572 342 Bhubaneswar Khurda Road,[78] Sambalpur,[79] Waltair[80]
16. East Central Railway ECR 3628 800 Hajipur Danapur,[81] Dhanbad,[82] Mughalsarai,[83] Samastipur,[84] Sonpur[85]
17. Konkan Railway[86] KR 741 70 CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai Karwar,[87] Ratnagiri [88]

Track and gauge

Indian railways uses four gauges, the 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge which is wider than the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge; the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge; and two narrow gauges, 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) and 610 mm (2 ft). Track sections are rated for speeds ranging from 80 to 200 km/h (50 to 124 mph), though trains don't really clock speeds of 200 km/h.

The total length of track used by Indian Railways is about 115,000 km (71,000 mi) while the total route length of the network is 67,312 km (41,826 mi).About 27,999 km (17,398 mi) or 42% of the route-kilometre was electrified, as of 31 March 2016.

Indian broad gauge—1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)— is the predominant gauge used by Indian Railways with 108,500 km (67,400 mi) of track length (94% of entire track length of all the gauges) and 59,400 km (36,900 mi) of route-kilometre (91% of entire route-kilometre of all the gauges).

On few routes, the metre gauge (1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)) and narrow gauges are present. The metre gauge has about 5,000 km (3,100 mi) of track length (4% of entire track length of all the gauges) and 4,100 km (2,500 mi) of route-kilometre (6% of entire route-kilometre of all the gauges), while narrow gauges have 1,500 km (930 mi) route-kilometre (2% of entire route-kilometre of all the gauges). The Project Unigauge is in progress to convert almost all tracks to broad gauge but the metre gauge Nilgiri Mountain Railway and narrow gauge Kalka-Shimla Railway, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Matheran Hill Railway are declared as heritage line and will not be converted under the Project Unigauge. [89]

The route length is 64,215 km (39,901 mi) on 31 March 2011, increased to 67,312 km (41,826 mi) as 31 March 2016, making a average increase by appx. 620 km (390 mi) annual.

The share of broad gauge in the total route-kilometre has been steadily rising, increasing from 47% (25,258 route-km) in 1951 to 94% in 2015 whereas the share of metre gauge has declined from 45% (24,185 route-km) to 4% and the share of narrow gauges has decreased from 8% to 2% in the same period. As of 31 March 2016, 27,999 route-km of Indian railways was electrified.

Sleepers (ties) are increasingly made up of prestressed concrete, though metal and teak sleepers are still in use on a few lines. The prestressed concrete sleeper is in wide use today. Metal and teak sleepers were extensively used before the advent of concrete sleepers.

Rolling stock

Locomotives

Main article: Locomotives in India
A WAP 7 class broad gauge AC electric locomotive.
A WDM-3D broad gauge diesel locomotive.

Locomotives in India consist of electric and diesel locomotives. The world's first CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) locomotives are also being used.[90] Steam locomotives are no longer used, except in heritage trains. In India, locomotives are classified according to their track gauge, motive power, the work they are suited for and their power or model number. The class name includes this information about the locomotive. It comprises 4 or 5 letters. The first letter denotes the track gauge. The second letter denotes their motive power, Diesel or Alternating current (Electric), and the third letter denotes the kind of traffic for which they are suited (goods, passenger, Multi or shunting). The fourth letter used to denote locomotives' chronological model number. However, from 2002 a new classification scheme has been adopted. Under this system, for newer diesel locomotives, the fourth letter will denote their horsepower range. Electric locomotives don't come under this scheme and even all diesel locos are not covered. For them this letter denotes their model number as usual.

A locomotive may sometimes have a fifth letter in its name which generally denotes a technical variant or subclass or subtype. This fifth letter indicates some smaller variation in the basic model or series, perhaps different motors, or a different manufacturer. With the new scheme for classifying diesel locomotives (as mentioned above) the fifth item is a letter that further refines the horsepower indication in 100 hp increments: 'A' for 100 hp, 'B' for 200 hp, 'C' for 300 hp, etc. So in this scheme, a WDM-3A refers to a 3100 hp loco, while a WDM-3D would be a 3400 hp loco and WDM-3F would be 3600 hp loco.

Note: This classification system does not apply to steam locomotives in India as they have become non-functional now. They retained their original class names such as M class or WP class.

Diesel Locomotives are now fitted with Auxiliary Power Units which saves nearly 88% of Fuel during the idle time when train is not running.[91]

Goods wagons

The number of goods wagons was 205,596 on 31 March 1951 and reached the maximum number 405,183 on 31 March 1980 after which it started declining and was 239,321 on 31 March 2012. The number is far less than the requirement and the Indian Railways keeps losing freight traffic to road. Indian Railways carried 93 million tonnes of goods in 1950–51 and it increased to 1010 million tonnes in 2012–13.[92]

However, its share in goods traffic is much lower than road traffic. In 1951, its share was 65% and the share of road was 35%. Now the shares have been reversed and the share of railways has declined to 30% and the share of road has increased to 70%.

Passenger coaches

Indian railways has several types of passenger coaches.

The coaches used in Indian Railways are produced at Integral Coach Factory, Rail Coach Factory, Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli; including the new LHB coaches.

Passenger coaches numbered 46,722 on 31 March 2012. Other coaches (luggage coach, parcel van, guard's coach, mail coach, etc.) numbered 6,560 on 31 March 2012.

Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) coaches are used for suburban traffic in large cities – mainly Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. These coaches numbered 7,793 on 31 March 2012. They have second class and first class seating accommodation.

Freight

Indian Railways earns about 70% of its revenues from freight traffic (₹686.2 billion from freight and ₹304.6 billion from passengers in 2011–12). Most of its profits come from transporting freight, and this makes up for losses on passenger traffic. It deliberately keeps its passenger fares low and cross-subsidises the loss-making passenger traffic with the profit-making freight traffic.

Since the 1990s, Indian Railways has stopped single-wagon consignments and provides only full rake freight trains

Wagon types include:[93]

  • BOXN = BOXN-HL , BOXN-HS , BOXN-HL , BOXN-CR,BOXN-LW,BOXN-AL,BOXN-EL.
  • BOBYN
  • BCNA
  • BCNHL
  • BTPN
  • BCACBM
  • BCCN
  • BOBRN
  • BRH
  • BTPGLN
  • VVN

Accommodation classes

Main article: Indian Railways coaching stock
Interior of a First Class(1A) compartment in the Rajdhani Express
Interior of a 3-tier AC(3AC) compartment of the Dakshin Express
Interior of an air-conditioned Chair Car (CC) coach in an Jan Shatabdi Express.
Interior of sleeper class(SL) coach

Indian Railways has several classes of travel with or without airconditioning. A train may have just one or many classes of travel. Slow passenger trains have only unreserved seating class whereas Rajdhani, Duronto, Shatabdi, garib rath and yuva trains have only airconditioned classes. The fares for all classes are different with unreserved seating class being the cheapest. The fare of Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi trains includes food served in the train but the fare for other trains does not include food that has to be bought separately. From September 2016, the Indian Railways have introduced dynamic fares for all accommodation classes for Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi trains(accept 1AC and EC classes) in order to shore up revenue.[94] In long-distance trains a pantry car is usually included and food is served at the berth or seat itself. Luxury trains such as Palace on Wheels have separate dining cars but these trains cost as much as or more than a five-star hotel room.

A standard passenger rake generally has four unreserved (also called "general") compartments, two at the front and two at the end, of which one may be exclusively for ladies. The exact number of other coaches varies according to the demand and the route. A luggage compartment can also exist at the front or the back. In some mail trains a separate mail coach is attached. Lavatories are communal and feature both the Indian style as well as the Western style.

The following table lists the classes in operation. A train may not have all these classes.

Class[95] Description[96][97]
1A 1 AC - First class AC: This is the most expensive class, where the fares are almost at par with air fare. There are eight cabins (including two coupes) in the full AC First Class coach and three cabins (including one coupe) in the half AC First Class coach. The coach has an attendant to help the passengers. Bedding is included with the fare. This air conditioned coach is present only on popular routes and can carry 18 passengers (full coach) or 10 passengers (half coach). The sleeper berths are extremely wide and spacious. The coaches are carpeted, have sleeping accommodation and have privacy features like personal coupes. This class is available on broad gauge and metre gauge trains routes.
2A 2 AC - AC-Two tier: These air-conditioned coaches have sleeping berths across eight bays. Berths are usually arranged in two tiers in bays of six, four across the width of the coach and two berths longways on the other side of the corridor, with curtains along the gangway or corridor. Bedding is included with the fare. A broad gauge coach can carry 48 passengers (full coach) or 20 passengers (half coach). This class is available on broad gauge and metre gauge trains routes.
FC First class: Similar as 1A, but without air conditioning. No bedding is available in this class. The berths are wide and spacious. There is a coach attendant to help the passengers. This class has been phased out on most of the trains and is rare to find. However narrow gauge trains routes to hill stations have this class.
3A 3 AC - AC three tier: Air conditioned coaches with 64 sleeping berths. Berths are usually arranged as in 2AC but with three tiers across the width and two longways as before giving eight bays of eight. They are slightly less well-appointed, usually no reading lights or curtained off gangways. Bedding is included with fare. It carries 64 passengers in broad gauge. This class is available only on broad gauge routes.
3E AC three tier (Economy): Air conditioned coaches with sleeping berths, present in Garib Rath Express trains. Berths are usually arranged as in 3A but with three tiers across the width and three longways. They are slightly less well-appointed, usually no reading lights or curtained off gangways. Bedding is not included with fare.
CC AC chair car: An air-conditioned seater coach with a total of five seats in a row used for day travel between cities. AC Double Deck sitter coaches are used in Double Decker Express.
EC Executive class chair car: An air-conditioned coach with large spacious seats and legroom. It has a total of four seats in a row used for day travel between cities. This class of travel is only available on Shatabdi Express trains.
SL Sleeper class: The sleeper class is the most common coach on the Indian Railways, and usually ten or more coaches of SL could be attached to a train rake. These are regular sleeping coaches with three berths vertically stacked, without air conditioning. In broad gauge, it carries 72 passengers per coach.
2S Second Seater class: similar as CC, without the air-conditioning. These may be reserved in advance or may be unreserved. Non-AC Double Deck sitter were introduced to few Mumbai-Pune trains and the Flying Ranee. However Flying Ranee is the only train that uses Non-AC Double Decker sitter coaches.
UR/GEN Unreserved/General: This is the cheapest accommodation. The seats are usually made up of pressed wood in older coaches but cushioned seats are found in new coaches. These coaches are usually over-crowded and a seat is not guaranteed. Tickets are issued in advance for a minimum journey of more than 24 hours. Tickets issued are valid on any train on the same route if boarded within 24 hours of buying the ticket.

At the rear of the train is a special compartment known as the guard's cabin. It is fitted with a transceiver and is where the guard usually gives the all clear signal before the train departs.

Research and development

Main article: Future of the Indian Railways

Indian Railways has a full-fledged organisation known as Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), located at Lucknow for all research, designs and standardisation tasks.

In August 2013, Indian Railways entered into a partnership with Indian Institute of Technology (Madras) to develop technology to tap solar energy for lighting and air-conditioning in the coaches. This would significantly reduce the fossil fuel dependency for Indian Railways.[98]

Recently it developed and tested the Improved Automated Fire Alarm System in Rajdhani Express Trains. It is intended that the system be applied to AC coaches of all regular trains.[99]

In recent years, Indian Railways has undertaken several initiatives to upgrade its ageing infrastructure and enhance its quality of service. The Indian government plans to invest ₹9.05 trillion (US$110 billion) to upgrade the railways by 2020.[100] Indian Railways is refurbishing 12-15 year old coaches at Carriage Rehabilitation Workshop in Bhopal to enhance passenger amenities and fire safety measures.[101][102]

Bio-toilets on railways

The bio-toilets, which have been developed by the railways and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), have a colony of anaerobic bacteria, kept in a container under the lavatories that convert human waste into water and small amounts of gases. The gases are released into the atmosphere and the water is discharged after chlorination on to the track. The railways currently uses flush toilets in trains, in which human waste is dumped directly on the track. This makes the environment unhygienic and railway stations an eyesore, apart from the fact that the faecal matter corrodes the tracks.

Southern Railways officials say that except for the first- and two-tier AC coaches of Uzhavan Express, the remaining 34 coaches have been fitted with bio-toilets. "These toilets aim at zero defecation on the ground," says Vinay Srivastava, former director-in-charge of the bio-toilet project who is currently working as director, Ministry of Environment and Forests.

More bio-toilets have been fitted into coaches this year[clarification needed]more than the total bio-toilets fitted in the last three years. According to an IR source, the number of bio-toilets fitted in passenger train coaches from April to July this year this year[clarification needed] was 2,285, against 1,337 bio-toilets fitted during 2012-13, 169 during 2011-12, and 57 during 2010-11.

Locomotive factories

In 2015, plans were disclosed for building two locomotive factories in the state of Bihar, at Madhepura (electric locomotive) and at Marhaura (Diesel Locomotive).[103] Both factories involve foreign partnerships. The diesel locomotive works will be jointly operated in a partnership with General Electric, which has invested ₹20.52 billion (US$250 million) for its construction, and the electric locomotive works with Alstom, which has invested ₹12.935 billion (US$150 million). The factories will provide Indian Railways with 800 electric locomotives of 12,000 horse power each, and a mix of 1,000 diesel locomotives of 4,500 and 6,000 horsepower each.[104] In November 2015, further details of the ₹146.56 billion (US$1.8 billion) partnership with GE were announced: Indian Railways and GE would engage in an 11-year joint venture in which GE would hold a majority stake of 74%. Under the terms of the joint venture, Indian Railways would purchase 100 goods locomotives a year for 10 years beginning in 2017; the locomotives would be modified versions of the GE Evolution series.[105] The diesel locomotive works will be built by 2018; GE will import the first 100 locomotives and manufacture the remaining 900 in India from 2019, also assuming responsibility for their maintenance over a 13-year period.[106] In the same month, a ₹200 billion (US$2.4 billion) partnership with Alstom to supply 800 electric locomotives from 2018 to 2028 was announced.[100]

Types of passenger services

Gatiman Express. A semi high speed train
Mumbai Rajdhani Express. Rajdhanis are long-distance high-speed and high-priority trains connecting major state capitals with New Delhi
Secunderabad Yeshwanthpur Garib-Rath Express. Garib-Rath's are low cost A/C trains

Trains are classified by their average speed.[107] A faster train has fewer stops ("halts") than a slower one and usually caters to long-distance travel.

S.no Train Description
1 Gatimaan Express It is a semi high speed train that runs between Delhi and Agra in India. It operates at a speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) and is the fastest train in India. The train takes a travel time of 100 minutes to cover 188 km (117 mi)* journey from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantonment railway stations.
2 Shatabdi Express The Shatabdi trains are air-conditioned, intercity trains for travel during daytime. Unlike the Rajdhani or Duronto Expresses, all Shatabdi expresses, it makes a round trip on same day. The Bhopal Shatabdi Express (Train no: 12001/12002) is one of the fastest train in India, between New Delhi and Agra cantonment, this train travels at an average speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and touches top speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph). They have seats and executive class seats, Some also have 3-tier AC berth. They have limited stops. Indian Railway is planning to introduce Wi-Fi services, New Delhi - Kalka Shatabdi Express being first train for trials.[108]
3 Rajdhani Express These are air-conditioned trains linking major cities to New Delhi. They have high priority and are one of the fastest trains in India, travelling at a maximum speed of around 130–140 km/h (81–87 mph). They have limited stops. In the Railway budget of 2014, it was proposed that the speed of Rajdhani express, and Shatabdi Expresses would be increased up 180 km/h (110 mph).
4 Duronto Express These are the non-stop (except for technical halts) point to point rail services introduced for the first time in 2009. They connect the metros and major state capitals of India and were introduced to travel as fast or faster than the Rajdhani Express. They provide first AC, two-tier AC and three-tier AC accommodation. Some of them provide non air-conditioned Sleeper Class accommodation.
5 AC Express These are fully air-conditioned trains linking major cities in the country. They have high priority and are one of the fastest trains in India, travelling at about 130 km/h (81 mph). They have limited stops.
6 Tejas Express Same as Shatabdi Express, these are fully air-conditioned single floor express trains. They have high priority and have limited stops. But unlike the Shatabdi Express these trains are sleeper trains used for long distance hauling.
7 Double Decker Express Same as Shatabdi Express, these are fully air-conditioned two floor express trains. They have high priority and are among fast trains in India. They have limited stops. These trains are used for daytime travel.
8 Uday Express Same as Double Decker Express, these are fully air-conditioned two floor express trains. They have high priority and have limited stops. These trains have berth facility and are used for night travel.
9 Jan Shatabdi Express Jan Shatabdi Express are more affordable variety of the Shatabdi Express, which have both AC and non-AC classes. The maximum speed is 130 km/h (81 mph). They have fewer stops.
10 Garib Rath Air-conditioned no-frills trains with seats and 3-tier Economy AC berths. The maximum speed is 130 km/h (81 mph). Some of them have AC Chair cars also.
11 Humsafar Express These are fully AC 3 tier coaches trains.
12 Sampark Kranti Express These are a series of trains which provide super fast Express-like connectivity to the national capital Delhi. These trains have higher priority than Super Express / Mail.
13 Yuva Express These trains were started along with Duronto Express trains to provide air conditioned travel to youth of the country. Sixty percent of the seats of these trains were reserved for passengers between 18 – 45 years of age. These trains did not enjoy much success. Today these trains only operate on the Delhi - Howrah and Delhi - Mumbai routes.
14 Kavi Guru Express These trains were introduced in honor of Rabindranath Tagore. Currently four pairs of these trains operate on the Indian Railways network.
15 Vivek Express These trains were introduced to commemorate the 150th birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda in 2013. Currently four pairs of Vivek Express run in the country.
16 Superfast Express/Mail These trains travel at a speed greater than 100–110 km/h (62–68 mph). Tickets for these trains have an additional superfast surcharge.
17 Intercity Express These trains were introduced to connect important cities for short routes. These appear in both Superfast Express speed and Express speed category. Some of the famous legendary Intercity Express are Deccan Queen and Flying Ranee.
18 Rajya Rani Express These trains were introduced to connect state capitals to important cities in that state.
19 Express/Mails These are the most common kind of trains in India. They have more stops than their super-fast counterparts, but they stop only at relatively important intermediate stations.
20 Fast Passenger and Passenger These are slow trains that stop at most or every station along the route and are the cheapest trains. The trains generally have unreserved seating accommodation but some night trains have sleeper and 3-tier AC compartments. These trains travel at about 40–80 km/h (25–50 mph).
21 Suburban trains These trains operate in the urban areas of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune and between Kanpur and Lucknow, usually stop at every stations and have unreserved seating accommodation.
22 Metro These trains are designed for city transport. Indian Railway constructed the first Kolkata Metro for the city of Kolkata. Now metro railway services are found in New Delhi, Mumbai,Chennai and Bangalore also.
23 Antyodaya and Jan Sadharan Express These are fully non reserved trains. Antyodaya Express operates on peak routes. These trains are run to reduce the pressure on other trains on that route.
24 Mahamana Express It is the new version of coaches of Indian Railways with modern benefits and facilities. The livery of the train is also different from other train. It is a tri-weekly superfast train service which runs between the city of Varanasi and New Delhi via Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Lucknow and Moradabad.
25 Tourist Trains Indian Railways also operate luxurious tourist trains like Palace on Wheels, Maharaja Express, The Golden Chariot, Royal Rajasthan on Wheels etc. Fairy Queen has also gained tourist attraction because it is the oldest steam engine in operation hauling a luxurious train from Delhi to Alwar.
26 Heritage Trains Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881. DHR was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999.

Notable trains

Tourist trains

Other trains

  • Samjhauta Express is a train that runs between India and Pakistan. However, hostilities between the two nations in 2001 saw the line being closed. It was reopened when the hostilities subsided in 2004. Another train connecting Khokhrapar (Pakistan) and Munabao (India) is the Thar Express that restarted operations on 18 February 2006; it was earlier closed down after the 1965 Indo-Pak war.
  • Lifeline Express is a special train popularly known as the "Hospital-on-Wheels" which provides healthcare to the rural areas. This train has a carriage that serves as an operating room, a second one which serves as a storeroom and an additional two that serve as a patient ward. The train travels around the country, staying at a location for about two months before moving elsewhere.
  • Fairy Queen is the oldest operating locomotive in the world today, though it is operated only for specials between Delhi and Alwar. John Bull, a locomotive older than Fairy Queen, operated in 1981 commemorating its 150th anniversary. Gorakhpur Junction railway station also has the distinction of being the world's longest railway platform at 4,483 ft (1,366 m). The Ghum station along the Darjeeling Toy Train route is the second highest railway station in the world to be reached by a steam locomotive.[116] The Mumbai–Pune Deccan Queen has the oldest running dining car in IR.
  • Vivek Express, between Dibrugarh and Kanyakumari, has the longest run in terms of distance and time on Indian Railways network. It covers 4,286 km (2,663 mi) in about 82 hours and 30 minutes.
  • 12049/12050 Hazrat Nizamuddin - Agra Cantt. Gatimaan Express is the fastest train of India having a maximum speed of 160 km/h and average speed of 112 km/h. 12001/12002 Bhopal Shatabdi Express was the fastest train in India having a maximum speed of 150 km/h on the Faridabad–Agra section. The fastest speed attained by any train is 184 km/h (114 mph) in 2000 during test runs.
  • Special Trains are those trains started by Indian Railways for any specific event or cause which includes Jagriti Yatra trains,[117] Kumbh Mela Trains.,[118] emergency trains, etc.[119]
  • Double-decker AC trains have been introduced in India. The first double decker train was Pune-Mumbai Sinhagad express plying between Pune and Mumbai[120] while the first double-decker AC train in the Indian Railways was introduced in November 2010, running between the Dhanbad and Howrah stations having 10 coaches and 2 power cars.[121] On 16 April 2013, Indian Railways celebrated its 160 years of nationwide connectivity with a transportation of 23 million passengers in a day.[122]

UNESCO world heritage sites

There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Indian Railways. – The Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus[123] and the Mountain Railways of India. The latter consists of three separate railway lines located in different parts of India:[124]

Recruitment and training

Main article: Centralised Training Institutes of the Indian Railways

Staff are classified into gazetted (Group 'A' and 'B') and non-gazetted (Group 'C' and 'D') employees.[126] The recruitment of Group 'A' gazetted employees is carried out by the Union Public Service Commission through exams conducted by it.[127] The Recruitment of Group 'C' for the following post Section Officers,Junior Engineers,Depot Material Superintendent posts is conducted by Railway Recruitment board.[128] The recruitment to Group 'C' and 'D' employees on the Indian Railways is done through 21 Railway Recruitment Boards and Railway Recruitment Cells which are controlled by the Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB).[129] The training of all cadres is entrusted and shared between six centralised training institutes.

Indian Railways recruits for lower level positions like ASM, Goods Guard, Clerk, TA, CA, JE, Staff Nurse, Group D etc. through it RRB NTPC (Railway Recruitment Board Non Technical ) examination. For year 2016, the examination was conducted to recruit around 18,000 positions.[130]

See also: Rail transport in India § International links

Existing rail links:

Under construction / Proposed links:

See also

References

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Further reading

  • Aguiar, Marian. Tracking Modernity: India's Railway and the Culture of Mobility (2011)
  • Bear, Laura. Lines of the Nation: Indian Railway Workers, Bureaucracy, and the Intimate Historical Self (Columbia University Press, 2007) ISBN 978-0-231-14002-7
  • Tiwari, Ramswarup D. Railways In Modern India (2007) [1941] ISBN 978-1406748123
  • V.M. Govind Krishnan NMR (Nilgiri Mountain Railway)- From Lifeline to Oblivion
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