An Introduction to the Indian Railways
Bilaspur-Katni (MP) line
The Indian Railways (IR) is the world's largest railway system under single management and the largest employer in the world with approx. 1.4 million employees. India's as well as Asia's first train steamed off from Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) to Thane on April 16th, 1853 covering a distance of 34 kms. India's railway network grew rapidly to encompass a pan-Indian network of almost 40,000 km's.
IR carried approx. 19.1 million passengers on a daily average in the Apr-June 2008, of which approx. 47.3 per cent was non-suburban passenger traffic. IR's vast rail network (fourth largest in the world) encompasses 63,327 route kilometers covering 7,068 stations and served by 9,000 passenger trains. 17,811 route kilometers (26 %) have been electrified. Freight carried amounted to 745 million tons. The main commodities handled by IR during 2005-06 include coal (294 mt), raw materials for steel plants (51 mt incl. 17.7 mt of iron and steel), cement (61 mt), oil and lubricants or POL (33 mt), fertilizers (33 mt) and foodgrains (42 mt). IR's gross receipts amounted to Rs 744 billion in 2006-07, i.e. approx. USD 18.5 billion. IR's passenger reservation system is the largest of its kind in the world. IR's has budgeted over Rs 200 bn for new infrastructural investments incl. new rolling stock, track renewal, track electrification, track doubling and gauge conversions (mainly to broad gauge) for fiscal 2008-09.
IR's e-ticketing service is available for all Superfast, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani trains.
Indian Railways had till recently faced increased competition from low-cost airlines that were luring mainly first class passengers to shift to air travel. As a countermeasure, AC First fares were substantially lowered. Although Indian passenger trains are relatively slow in general, a few exceptions do exist. India's fastest train, the New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express, attains a maximum speed of 150 km/h on certain stretches between Delhi and Agra. Rajdhani trains also attain speeds of upto 130 km/h on certain sections. There are plans to introduce modern high-speed trains on certain sections of the network in the future.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, is one of India's busiest stations. CST is now on the UNESCO World Heritage List
India's longest scheduled single continous train journey can be experienced on the weekly Himsagar Express, connecting Kanyakumari (southern tip of India) with Jammu Tawi (Jammu & Kashmir). The route distance is 3,751 km's covered in 73 hours. Ticket fares range from around USD 11 for sleeper class accomodation to USD 43 for First Class accomodation. IR has introduced fully airconditioned but affordable Garib Rath trains on selected routes medium/long distance routes. Fares on these trains are about 25 per cent lower than comparable AC 3-tier fares.
Indian Railways operates on three gauges: broad gauge (1.676 m), meter gauge (1.000 m) and narrow gauge (0.762 m and 0.610 m). All major routes are served by broad gauge (49,820 route kilometers). Narrow gauge rails are used on 2,886 route kilometers.
- The Indian Railways Official Website
- Ministry of Railways Website
- Trains At a Glance (timetables)
- Indian Railways Catering And Tourism Corp.
- Ministry of Railways Website
- Online rail booking facilities
- Train Running Information
- Network Map of the Indian Railways
- Accomodation Classes
- Network Map of the Indian Railways
August Kranti Rajdhani Express (old rake) whizzes past Bharatpur Junction (Rajasthan) - © Timir Mozumder
The daily August Kranti Rajdhani Express runs daily from Mumbai to Delhi and nowadays its locomotives pull new Alstom-LHB coaches with the familiar red coloured livery, albeit more modern. Alstom-LHB coaches are also used on the Howrah and Mumbai Rajdhani expresses. Alstom-LHB coaches are mainly used in select Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains.
Howrah Rajdhani pulling in to Howrah Station by KolkataMusing
A Howrah Rajdhani (Alstom-LHB coaches) pulling into Howrah station, Kolkata's main long-distance train terminus. Two daily Rajdhani trains connect Kolkata with Delhi: The Sealdah Rajdhani runs via Gaya and the Howrah Rajdhani via Gaya or Patna (Sundays only).
A train pulls in to Bharatpur Junction Station (Rajasthan) - © Timir Mozumder
Bilaspur Junction Station (Chhattisgarh) - © Timir Mozumder
| Zone | Headquarters | Freight Carried in Million Tons (2004-05) |
Passengers (2004-05) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Railway | Mumbai (Chhatrapati Shivaji) | 42.98 | |
| Eastern Railway | Kolkata | 46.95¹ | |
| East Central | Hazipur | 58.26 | |
| South East Central | Bilaspur | 92.52 | |
| West Central | Jabalpur | 19.97 | |
| North Central | Allahabad | 5.43 | |
| East Coast | Bhubaneswar | 70.46 | |
| Konkan Railway Corp. Ltd. | Navi Mumbai | ||
| Northern | New Delhi | 41.4 | |
| North Eastern | Gorakhpur | 2.06 | |
| North Western | Jaipur | 9.05 | |
| Northeast Frontier | Maligaon-Guwahati | 9.94 | |
| Southern Railway | Chennai | 27.4¹ | 511¹ |
| South Central Railway | Secunderabad | 51 | |
| South Eastern | Kolkata | 85.86¹ | 157.6 |
| South Western | Hubli | 31.75 | |
| Western Railway | Mumbai (Churchgate) | 28.35 |
Rail Museums
Howrah Rail Museum Photo Gallery >>
National Rail Museum Photo Gallery >>
Railway Books
Below is a small selection of Indian railway books available at Amazon.co.uk. If you wish to order any of these then just click on the bookcover image to proceed with your online order.
- The Imperial Way: Making Tracks from Peshawar to Chittagong >>
- Paul Theroux's illustrated book on various train trips in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Although a bit dated (published in 1985) it is still a very enjoyable book with many fascinating photographs and essays.
- Indian Narrow Gauge Steam Remembered >>
- Indian Locomotives: Broad Gauge, 1851-1940 >>
- Indian Railway related books available at Amazon.co.uk >>
Railway Videos
Indian Railway videos are rare but I have collected a few high quality and interesting ones available through Amazon.co.uk. Just click on the product image you wish to order.
-
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DVD Region 0)
- The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, A Journey to the Rooftop of the World DVD features the famous Darjeeling "Toy Train". In addition to a 79 min professionally filmed (various angles) video, the DVD includes a fascinating narration by Sherab Tenduf and five extra clips of the train in action, three slide shows and historical photographic scenes. A must buy for any steam engine buff!
-
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (VHS PAL)
-
National Geographic Video - The Great Indian Railway (1995)
- Although this video is a bit outdated it depicts wonderfully the significance of the railways on networking the vast country that India is. Many different aspects and facets of the gigantic railway web are shown in this 115 min video.
-
Great Railway Journeys Of The World - India
- This rail video, written and presented by Brian Thompson, takes the armchair traveller on a one hour rail
journey from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus to the steamy South including Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty and Kochi.
Although this video was released in 1997 it was actually shot in 1987. All in all a very enjoyable rail journey.
Commuter Rail, Subway, Light Rail Networks
- Mumbai Railway Vikas Corp. Ltd.
- The world's busiest (6.1 million commuters/day) commuter rail system.
- Kolkata Metro Railway
- India's first underground rail system became operation on Oct 24 1984 with the opening of a 3.4 km section. The line was gradually extended to its present length of 16.5 kms by the end of 1995. The north-south line connects Dum Dum (near the airport) with Tollygunge located in southern Kolkata. The 8.7 km long, mostly elevated southern extension upto New Garia is under construction and is expected to be ready in June 2009 (the section upto Naktala is planned to be operational by Sept.) after many delays mainly due to litigations related to land acquisitions along the route. Over. 400,000 daily passengers use the metro on weekdays.
Kolkata metro - Passengers ready to board an arriving metro train at Dum Dum station, the northern terminus of the line. The ground-level station is adjacent to the suburban rail platforms of the station via a pedestrian tunnel.- Construction of the long-awaited second line (project value ca Rs 47 bn) with a total length of 13.8 kms connecting Ramrajatala (Howrah) and Bidhannagar Sector V (a hub for IT/technology companies) is expected to commence by 2009. Plans are to interconnect the East-West line with the existing north-south line at the Central metro station. The line would also facilitate a convenient link connecting Kolkata's two busy rail terminals, Howrah and Sealdah. Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has prepared a Detailed Project Report on the proposed Rs 47 bn East-West Corridor line which has been cleared by the Union Cabinet. Half of the proposed 12 stations would be underground while the other six would be elevated stations. The line is projected to be operational by 2014. 70% of the line would be underground. Surface transport would be unobstructed due to the use of tunnel boring machinery. The underground section of the present metro line was constructed using the cut and cover method. A 7+ km elevated line connecting Central Park in Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) with the new terminal coming up at NSCB airport is being planned.
- Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC)>>
- Frontline's article on the Kolkata Metro>>
Kolkata Metro train pulling out of a downtown Kolkata station - © Timir Mozumder
Kolkata Metro train - © Timir Mozumder
- Construction of the long-awaited second line (project value ca Rs 47 bn) with a total length of 13.8 kms connecting Ramrajatala (Howrah) and Bidhannagar Sector V (a hub for IT/technology companies) is expected to commence by 2009. Plans are to interconnect the East-West line with the existing north-south line at the Central metro station. The line would also facilitate a convenient link connecting Kolkata's two busy rail terminals, Howrah and Sealdah. Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has prepared a Detailed Project Report on the proposed Rs 47 bn East-West Corridor line which has been cleared by the Union Cabinet. Half of the proposed 12 stations would be underground while the other six would be elevated stations. The line is projected to be operational by 2014. 70% of the line would be underground. Surface transport would be unobstructed due to the use of tunnel boring machinery. The underground section of the present metro line was constructed using the cut and cover method. A 7+ km elevated line connecting Central Park in Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) with the new terminal coming up at NSCB airport is being planned.
- Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
- The first 22 km line (mostly elevated) of the Phase I (three lines) network was partially opened in December 2002 and runs now from Rithala, crossing the Yamuna river to Shadhara in East Delhi. The 11 km second line, from Vishwavidyalaya to Central Secretariat via Kashmere Gate and Old Delhi Railway Station is fully underground. The 5-station 6.36 km extension from Vishwavidalaya to Jenhangirpuri is undergoing trial runs and is expected be open to public by Jan '09. The third line (Blue line), the longest line of the phase I lines at 31 stations and 32 route kms, runs from Indraprastha to the western suburb of Dwarka. Extension work (6.5 kms) on line three upto Sector 21 Dwarka will be completed by March. Furthermore, this line will be extended by another 2.5 km towards the domestic terminals of Palam airport. The now fully complete phase I comprises of three lines totalling 65 route kms and 59 stations.
Delhi Metro - The fully underground line two. 70 trains (280 coaches), each of which can carry upto 1,300 passengers, run from 6AM to 11PM. Ridership on weekdays has increased to over 800,000 and is projected to reach 2 million by 2010..- A highspeed airport express rail link (135 km/h)from New Delhi station to Dwarka Sector 21 via Delhi's IGI airport is planned to be ready by July 2010. The 22.7 km (15.7 km underground and 7 km elevated) line will feature six stations, two of which will have baggage check-in facilities.
- Phase II comprising 53 km's of route length is planned to be ready by 2009. One of the new lines will be extended to the burgeoning satellite city of Gurgaon in neighbouring Haryana (scheduled to be opened in Jan 2010) and another to the trans-Yamuna growth city of Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The seven km six station Noida extension is expected to be ready by mid-2009. Delhi Metro ridership rose to 200 m in 2007 or approx. 650,000 per day (presently over 800,000 on weekdays).
Delhi Metro Line 2 - © Timir Mozumder
- A highspeed airport express rail link (135 km/h)from New Delhi station to Dwarka Sector 21 via Delhi's IGI airport is planned to be ready by July 2010. The 22.7 km (15.7 km underground and 7 km elevated) line will feature six stations, two of which will have baggage check-in facilities.
- Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS)
- The 8.6 km MRTS line is partly elevated (5.8 km) and compliments the suburban rail network of Chennai.
Phase II (Thirumalai-Velachery) of the line is now open extending the line by 11 kms. The line extends from Chennai Beach to Velachery with trains running at 15 min intervals. A 5 km extension upto St. Thomas Mount has been proposed. The Thirumalai-Tiruvamniyur section has been commissioned.
- Hyderabad Metro Rail
- Hyderabad Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS)
- Bangalore Metro Rail Corp.
- The proposed Rs 64 bn Bangalore metro system would comprise of two lines totalling 36.5 kms (East-West 18.1 km and North-South 14.9 km). Of this, 6.7 km would be underground. The lines would be completed by 2011.
- Mumbai Metro
- Phase I of the Mumbai metro project includes the construction of three lines:
1) An 11.4 km elevated metro rail link featuring 12 stations incl. one close to Sahar airport. The line was contracted to Reliance Energy and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and will be routed from Versova to Ghatkopar via Andheri. The line is projected to be ready by the end of 2010. Construction of this line is underway. A Chinese company, namely Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Works, will supply 16 trains to be operated on the line.
2) The second line planned (line length: 31.9 km with 27 stations) in the first phase would connect the northern suburb of Charkop with Mankhurd via Bandra.
3) A 19 km third line linking Colaba (southern tip of Mumbai) with Bandra (new growing commercial hub) via Mahim.
The first phase is expected to be ready within 6 years from start of construction. Nine lines (146.5 route km) have been planned in the metro master plan to be completed by 2021 in three phases.
- India's erstwhile tram networks.
- Although trams exist only in Kolkata at present quite a few Indian cities had tram service in the past.
- Calcutta Tramways
Kolkata tram - © Timir Mozumder
-
Kolkata Trams 2007 trailer by PMPvideo DVD
- Konkan Railway Corp. Ltd.
- Sky Bus Metro
- Sky Bus Metro
- A rail based mass transit system developed in India not yet in commercial use.
- Delhi Monorail
- A proposed pilot 15 km monorail route is under study and if implemented would provide feeder service to the Delhi
Metro system. Monorail Malaysia Technology Sdn Bhd and Ircon International Ltd have signed a MoU to undertake a feasibility study.
- Hyderabad Metro
- A three line 60 km metro rail network has been planned for Hyderabad which is one the most polluted cities in the world. While according to WHO a SPM (Suspended Particulate Matter measured in Micrograms/m3) level of 30 is acceptable, Hyderabad averages SPM levels of 700. The cost of the metro project has been estimated to be approx. Rs 80 bn.
Other Rail Related Links
- Rail Vikas Nigam Limited
- IRFCA (Indian Railways Fan Club Association)
- Railway Budget 2006-07
- National Rail Museum
- Indian Steam Railway Society
- Central Organisation for Railway Electrification
- IRFCA (Indian Railways Fan Club Association)
Indian Railway Equipment Manufacturers
- Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), Chittaranjan (W.B)
- Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi (U.P)
- Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Perambur (Tamil Nadu)
- Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala (Punjab)
- Bharat Heavy Electicals Ltd. (BHEL)
- Jessop & Co. Ltd, Kolkata
- Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi (U.P)
- Manufactures EMU's (Electric Multiple Units), a variety of wagons, tram cars etc.
- Bharat Earth Movers Ltd., Bangalore
- Manufactures rail coaches
- Wheel And Axle Plan, Bangalore
- Diesel Loco Modernisation Works, Patiala
- Railtel Corp. of India Ltd.
- Rail Wheel Factory - Yelahanka (Karnataka)
- Diesel Loco Modernisation Works, Patiala
Research and Development
- RDSO Research, Designs & Standards Organisation
Mountain Trains
- Darjeeling Himalaya Railway
- A narrow gauge toy train connecting New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling.
The Darjeeling toy train at New Jalpaiguri ready to embark on its 6½ hr journey to Darjeeling - © Timir Mozumder
- World Heritage Tour panographies >>
NHK World Heritage video >>
Darjeeling toy train loco at New Jalpaiguri - World Heritage Tour panographies >>
- Kalka-Shimla
- This 96 km long narrow gauge rail line was built in 1903 requiring a lot engineering skills. The longest of the 103 tunnels found on this line is over 1.1 km long at an altitude of 1500 meters.
- Nilgiri Mountain Train
- Nilgiri Mountain Train (or Blue Mountain) connects Mettupalayam with Udhagamandalam (Ooty) traversing a distance of 45.88 km on a metre gauge rail track . A special rack and pinion system (the only one of its kind in India) keeps the train from slipping down and negotiate the steep gradient while moving up.
- Neral - Matheran
- Neral, situated 96 km from Mumbai, is the starting point for the two foot gauge rail track toy train to the renowned hill station of Matheran (alt. 2650 ft).
Special Tourist Trains
- The Golden Chariot
- A luxury train that covers major sights of Karnataka including stops at Bangalore, Mysore, Kabini, Hassan, Hampi and neighbouring Goa.
- Heritage on Wheels
- A meter gauge luxury train that covers the Rajasthani destinations of Jaipur, Bikaner, Tal Chhapar amd Shekhawati
- Palace on Wheels
- Route: Delhi-Jaipur-Chittaurgarh-Udaipur-Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Bharatpur-FatehpurSikri-Agra-Delhi
- The Royal Orient train
- The Royal Orient covers many interesting points in Rajasthan and Gujarat during the seven day journey departing from Delhi.
- Fairy Queen
- The Fairy Queen locomotive, manufactured in 1855, is probably the oldest running steam loco in the world. The route covers Delhi and Alwar, including nearby Sariska Tiger Reserve
- Deccan Odyssey
- A Luxury tourist train service covering the following route: Mumbai-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg-Goa-Pune-Aurangabad-Nashik-Mumbai