INDIAN RAILWAYS : INDIA´S LIFELINE

Indian Railways (IR) is India’s national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways. It manages the fourth largest railway network in the world by size, with a route length of 67368-kilometre (41861 mi) and total track length of 121407-kilometre (75,439 mi) as of March 2017. I travelled a lot on trains in India since childhood discovering most of India – My first love of trains and romance of train journeys (especially non-routine, mountain, forest & special route railways) started with Indian Railways and continues today as with the Railways from around the world !

INDIAN RAILWYS IS THE WORLD´s 4 TH LARGEST RAILWAY NETWORK

INDIAN RAILWAYS IS THE WORLD´s 4 TH LARGEST RAILWAY NETWORK

INDIAN RAILWAYS : BRIEF

Indian Railways (IR) is India’s national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways

It manages the fourth largest railway network in the world by size
With a route length of 67368-kilometre (41861 mi) and total track length of 121407-kilometre (75,439 mi) as of March 2017
Routes are electrified with 25 kV AC electric traction while 33% of them are double or multi-tracked
Indian Railway (IR) runs more than 20,000 passenger trains daily, on both long-distance and suburban routes from 7,349 stations across India
The trains have five-digit and four-digit numbering system
Mail or Express trains, the most common types, run at an average speed of 50.6 kilometres per hour (31.4 mph)
Most premium passenger trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi Exp run at peak speed of 140–150 km/h (87–93 mph) with Gatiman Express between New Delhi and Agra touching peak speed of 160 km/h (99 mph)
Indian railways has also started a pilot project by the name of “Train-18”, with successful trials between Delhi-Varanasi and Lucknow-Delhi and clocked maximum track speed of 180 km/h (112mph)
In the freight segment, IR runs more than 9200 trains daily
The average speed of freight trains is around 24 kilometres per hour (15 mph)
Maximum speed of freight trains varies from 60 to 75 km/h (37 to 47 mph) depending upon their axle load with container special running at a peak speed of 100 km/h (62 mph)
As of March 2017, Indian Railway’s rolling stock consisted of 277987 freight wagons, 70937 passenger coaches and 11452 locomotives
IR owns locomotive and coach-production facilities at several locations in India. The world’s eighth-largest employer, it had 1.308 million employees as of March 2017
In the year ending March 2018, IR carried 8.26 billion passengers and transported 1.16 billion tonnes of freight
In the fiscal year 2017–18, IR is projected to have revenue of ₹1.874 trillion (US$27 billion), consisting of ₹1.175 trillion (US$17 billion) in freight revenue and ₹501.25 billion (US$7.3 billion) in passenger revenue, with an operating ratio of 96.0 percent

INDIAN RAILWAYS : BRIEF HISTORY

The first railway proposals for India were made in Madras in 1832
The country’s first train, Red Hill Railway (built by Arthur Cotton to transport granite for road-building), ran from Red Hills to the Chintadripet bridge in Madras in 1837
In 1845, the Godavari Dam Construction Railway was built by Cotton at Dowleswaram in Rajahmundry, to supply stone for the construction of a dam over the Godavari River
In 1851, the Solani Aqueduct Railway was built by Proby Cautley in Roorkee to transport construction materials for an aqueduct over the Solani River
India’s first passenger train, hauled by three steam locomotives (Sahib, Sindh and Sultan), ran for 34 kilometres (21 mi) with 400 people in 14 carriages on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge track between Bori Bunder (Mumbai) and Thane on 16 April 1853
The Thane viaducts, India’s first railway bridges, were built over the Thane creek when the Mumbai-Thane line was extended to Kalyan in May 1854
Eastern India’s first passenger train ran 24 miles (39 km) from Howrah, near Kolkata, to Hoogly on 15 August 1854
The first passenger train in South India ran 60 miles (97 km) from Royapuram- Veyasarapady (Madras) to Wallajah Road (Arcot) on 1 July 1856
On 24 February 1873, a horse-drawn 3.8-kilometre (2.4 mi) tram opened in Calcutta between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street
On 9 May 1874, a horse-drawn tramway began operation in Bombay between Colaba and Parel
In 1897, lighting in passenger coaches was introduced by many railway companies. On 3 February 1925, the first electric passenger train in India ran between Victoria Terminus and Kurla
The organization of Indian railways into regional zones began in 1951 when the Southern (14 April 1951), Central (5 November 1951) and Western (5 November 1951) zones were created
Fans and lights were mandated for all compartments in all passenger classes in 1951 and sleeping accommodations were introduced in coaches
In 1956, the first fully air-conditioned train was introduced between Howrah and Delhi
Ten years later, the first containerized freight service began between Mumbai and Ahmedabad
In 1986, computerized ticketing and reservations were introduced in New Delhi
In 1988, the first Shatabdi Express was introduced between New Delhi and Jhansi; it was later extended to Bhopal

Two years later, the first self-printing ticket machine (SPTM) was introduced in New Delhi
In 1993, air-conditioned three-tier coaches and a sleeper class (separate from second class) were introduced on IR. The CONCERT system of computerized reservations was deployed in New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai in September 1996
In 1998, coupon validating machines (CVMs) were introduced at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
The nationwide Concierge system began operation on 18 April 1999
In February 2000, the Indian Railways website went online
On 3 August 2002, IR began online train reservations and ticketing
Indian Railways announced on 31 March 2017 that the country’s entire rail network would be electrified by 2022

The smaller railway viaduct near Thane in 1855

The longer railway viaduct near Thane in 1855

INDIAN RAILWAYS

ORGANIZATION & STRUCTURE

Indian Railways is headed by a seven-member Railway Board whose chairman reports to the Ministry of Railways
Railway Board also acts as the Ministry of Railways
The officers manning the office of Railway Board are mostly from organised Group A Railway Services and Railway Board Secretariat Service
IR is divided into 18 zones, headed by general managers who report to the Railway Board
The zones are further subdivided into 68 operating divisions, headed by divisional railway managers (DRM)
The divisional officers of the engineering, mechanical, electrical, signal and telecommunication, stores, accounts, personnel, operating, commercial, security and safety branches report to their respective DRMs and are tasked with the operation and maintenance of assets
Station masters control individual stations and train movements through their stations’ territory
In addition, there are a number of production units, training establishments, public sector enterprises and other offices working under the control of the Railway Board

INDIAN RAILWAYS

SUBSIDIARIES & UNDERTAKINGS

IR is a major shareholder in 16 public sector undertakings (PSU) and other organizations that are related to rail transport in India. Notable among this list include :

FINANCING, CONSTRUCTION, & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

IRFC : Indian Railways Finance Corporation
RITES : Rail India Technical & Economic Services
IRCON : Indian Railway Construction
MRVC :
RVNL – Rail Vikas Nigam Limited

LAND & STATION DEVELOPMENT

RLDA : Rail Land Development Authority
IRSDC : Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation

RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE

DFCCIL : DEDICATED FREIGHT CORRIDOR CORPORATION OF INDIA Limited
PRCL :

PASSENGER & FREIGHT TRAIN OPERATIONS

KRCL : Konkan Railway Corporation Limited
CONCOR : Container Corporation of India

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) & COMMUNICATIONS

CRIS : Centre for Railway Information Systems
RCIL :

CATERING, TICKETING & TOURISM

IRCTC : Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation

INDIAN RAILWAYS : HUMAN RESOURCES

Staff are classified into gazetted (Groups A and B) and non-gazetted (Groups C and D) employees
Gazetted employees carry out executive / managerial / officer level tasks. As of March 2017, the number of personnel (Groups A & B) constitutes 1.2% of the total strength, while Group C & D account for 92.6% and 6.2% respectively
There is no direct recruitment of Group B employees in Indian Railways, it’s only promotional, Group B employees are recruited from departmental promotional exam of Group C employees
Recruitment of Group A employees is carried out by the Union Public Service Commission Civil Service exam by examination
Recruitment of Group C junior engineers and depot material superintendents is conducted by the Railway Recruitment Board
Group C employees are recruited by 21 Railway Recruitment Board or RRB, which are controlled by the Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRB)
Group D staffs are recruited by 16 Railway Recruitment Cells or RRCs
The training of all groups is shared among seven centralized zonal training institutes and 295 training centers located all over India
IR offers housing and runs its own hospitals, schools and sports facilities for the welfare of its staff

INDIAN RAILWAYS : ROLLING STOCK

LOCOMOTIVES

WAP-7-class broad gauge AC electric locomotive

WDM-3D broad-gauge diesel locomotive

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, which uses one of India’s few running steam locomotives

India uses electric and diesel locomotives, along with a few CNG (compressed natural gas) locomotives
Steam locomotives are no longer in use, except in heritage trains
Locomotives in India are classified by gauge, motive power, the work they are suited for and their power or model number
Their four- or five-letter class name includes this information
The first letter denotes the track gauge; the second their motive power (diesel or electric), and the third their suitable traffic (goods, passenger, multi or shunting)
The fourth letter denotes a locomotive’s chronological model number
In 2002, a new classification was adopted in which the fourth letter indicates a newer diesel locomotive’s horsepower range
A locomotive may have a fifth letter in its name, denoting a technical variant, subclass or sub-type (a variation in the basic model (or series) or a different motor or manufacturer)
In the new diesel-locomotive classification, the fifth letter refines the horsepower in 100-hp increments : A for 100 hp, B for 200 hp, C for 300 hp an so on
In this classification, a WDM-3A is a 3100 hp, a WDM-3D a 3400 hp and a WDM-3F a 3600 hp locomotive
Diesel locomotives are fitted with auxiliary power units, which save almost 88 percent of fuel during idle time when a train is not running

GOODS WAGONS

As of March 2017, IR fleet consisted of 277,987 goods wagons
They carried 1110 million tonnes of freight in Fiscal Year 2016–17
Wagon types used by IR include BCACBM, BCCN, BCNA, BCNHL, BOBRN, BOBYN, BOXN (BOXN-HL, BOXN-HS, BOXN-HL, BOXN-CR, BOXN-LW, BOXN-AL, BOXN-EL), BRH, BTPGLN, BTPN and VVN
IR’s bulk requirement of wagons is met by wagon manufacturing units both in public and private sectors as well as other Public Sector Units under the administrative control of Ministry of Railways

PASSENGER COACHES

On long distance routes and also on some shorter routes, IR uses 2 primary types of coach design types
ICF coaches, in production from 1955 until Jan 2018 constitute the bulk of the current stock
These coaches, considered to be having inadequate safety features, are slowly being phased out
As of September 2017 – around 40000 coaches are still in operation
The older coaches are being replaced with LHB coaches
Introduced in mid ’90s, these coaches are lighter, safer and are capable of speeds up to 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph)
IR has announced that two new self-propelled train set designs will be introduced starting from mid 2018
These two train types, termed as Train-18 and Train-20, are expected to replace locomotive-hauled trains on long distance routes
On regional short distance routes, IR runs Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) or Diesel Electrical Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains, depending on the traction available
These train sets are self-propelled with capability for faster acceleration or deceleration and are expected to reduce congestion on dense routes
Passenger locomotive-hauled trains, having frequent stops are slowly being replaced with train sets across India
On suburban commuter routes around the large urban centers, IR runs trains with Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) coaches
As of March 2017, about 9100 coaches are in operation

INDIAN RAILWAYS : MANUFACTURING

Indian Railways is a vertically-integrated organization that produces majority of its locomotives & rolling stock at in-house production units, with a few recent exceptions

LOCOMOTIVES

Chittaranjan Locomotive Works in Chittaranjan, West Bengal manufactures electric locomotives
Diesel Locomotive Works in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh manufactures diesel & electric locomotives.
Diesel Locomotive Factory in Marhowra, Bihar. It’s a Joint Venture of Indian Railways & General Electric
They manufacture high capacity diesel locomotives, used especially for freight transportation
Electric Locomotive Factory in Madhepura, Bihar. It’s a Joint Venture of Indian Railways and Alstom SA. They manufacture electric locomotives
Diesel-Loco Modernisation Works in Patiala, Punjab upgrades & overhaul the locomotive.They also manufacture electric locomotives

ROLLING STOCK

Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, Tamilnadu
Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, Punjab
Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh

WHEEL & AXLE

Rail Wheel Factory in Bangalore, Karnataka
Rail Wheel Plant, Bela in Chhapra, Bihar

REPAIR & MAINTENANCE

The repair and maintenance of this vast fleet of rolling stock is carried out at 44 loco sheds, 212 carriage & wagon repair units and 45 periodic overhaul workshops located across various zones of IR

INDIAN RAILWAYS : NETWORK

TRACKS

Comparison of gauges in India with the standard gauge

As of March 2017, IR network spans 121407 km (75439 mi) of track length, while the route length is 67368 km (41861 mi)
The Indian Railways, as of 1st April 2019, had a Broad-Gauge network of 64298 km. Out of this – 35488 km was electrified
Track sections are rated for speeds ranging from 80 to 200 km/h (50 to 124 mph), though the maximum speed attained by passenger trains is 180 km/h (110 mph) during trial runs
As of March 2017, most of the broad-gauge network is equipped with long-welded rails, pre-stressed concrete (PSC) sleepers with elastic fastenings and high tensile strength 52kg/60kg 90 UTS rails
1676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge, is the predominant gauge used by IR and spans 61680 km (38330 mi) of route (92% of total route network)
It is among the broadest gauge in use across the world for passenger movement
Broad gauge generated 100% of the freight output (Net tonne-Kilometres) and more than 99% of the passenger output (Passenger Kilometres) in the fiscal year 2016–17
The 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) metre gauge tracks ; 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) and 610 mm (2 ft) narrow gauge tracks are present on fewer routes
All of these routes, except the heritage routes, are being converted to broad gauge
The metre gauge tracks were 3479 kilometres (2162 mi) (5% of total route network) and narrow gauges tracks were 2208 km (1372 mi) (3% of total route network) as of 31 March 2017
Indian Railway has taken massive initiative for achieving fully mechanised maintenance of her tracks with state of art track machines

ELECTRIFICATION

As of 31 March 2018, IR has electrified 49% or 33057 km (20541 mi) of the route kilometers and 46% or 55240 km (34320 mi) of the total running track
India uses 25 kV AC traction on all its electrified tracks
Railway electrification in India began with the first electric train, between Bombay Victoria Terminus and Kurla on the Harbour Line, on 3 February 1925 on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) at 1500 V DC
Heavy gradients in the Western Ghats necessitated the introduction of electric traction on the GIPR to Igatpuri on the North East line and Pune on the South East line
On 5 January 1928 1500 V DC traction was introduced on the suburban section of the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway between Colaba and Borivili, and between Madras Beach and Tambaram of the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway on 11 May 1931, to meet growing traffic needs
The 3000 V DC electrification of the Howrah-Burdwan section of the Eastern Railway was completed in 1958
The first 3000 V DC EMU service began on the Howrah-Sheoraphuli section on 14 December 1957
Research and trials in Europe, particularly on French Railways (SNCF), indicated that 25 kV AC was an economical electrification system
Indian Railways decided in 1957 to adopt 25 kV AC as its standard, with SNCF their consultant in the early stages
The first 25 kV AC section was Raj Kharswan–Dongoaposi on the South Eastern Railway in 1960
The first 25 kV AC EMUs, for Kolkata suburban service, began service in September 1962. For continuity, the Howrah–Burdwan section of the Eastern Railway and the Madras Beach–Tambaram section of the Southern Railway were converted to 25 kV AC by 1968
Because of limitations in the DC traction system, a decision was made to convert the electric traction system of the Mumbai suburban rail network of WR and CR from 1.5kV DC to 25 kV AC in 1996–97
The conversion from DC to AC traction was completed in 2012 by Western Railway, and in 2016 by Central Railway. Since then, the entire electrified mainline rail network in India uses 25 kV AC, and DC traction is used only for metros and trams
Indian Railways announced on 31 March 2017 that the country’s entire rail network would be electrified by 2022
Though not a nascent concept, the electrification in India now has been committed with a fresh investment of ₹35000 crore (US$5.1 billion) to electrify the entire network and eliminating the cost of fuel under transportation which will amount to a massive savings of ₹10500 crore (US$1.5 billion) overall
This will be a boon for savings for the Government to channelize the investments in modernization of the railway infrastructure
Close to 30 billion units of electricity will be required for railway electrification on an annual basis by 2022, leading to excellent opportunities for IPPs of conventional power

SIGNALING & TELECOMMUNICATION

IR uses a range of signalling technologies and methods to manage its train operations based on traffic density and safety requirements.
As of March 2017 – around 2850 km (1770 mi) of the route uses automatic block signalling for train operations – concentrated in high density routes, large cities and junctions
Remaining routes are based on absolute block signalling with trains manually controlled by signal men from the signal boxes typically located at stations
Few low density routes still use manual block signalling methods with communication on track clearance based on physical exchange of tokens
In a few sections, intermediate block signalling is provided to further enhance line capacity with minimal investment
As of March 2017, 501 block sections have intermediate block signals on IR
IR primarily uses coloured signal lights, which replaced semaphores and disc-based signalling (dependent on position or colour)
IR uses two-aspect, three-aspect and four (or multiple) aspect color signalling across its network
Signals at most stations are interlocked using panel interlocking , route-relay interlocking or electronic interlocking methods that eliminate scope for human signalling errors
IR uses track circuiting and block proving axle counters for train detection
As of March 2017, 5584 stations across IR (about 90% of stations on broad gauge) have interlocked stations and multi-aspect signalling
Around 99% of key routes (A, B, C and D) have track circuitry or block proving axle counters for automated train detection
Also, IR has about 51,000 route kilometers of optical fiber cable network across India, that is used for train control, voice and data communication
Around 2500 km (1600 mi) of the route is covered by GSM-R based Mobile Train Radio Communication
In December 2017, IR announced that it will implement ETCS Level 2 system for signalling and control on key routes with an investment of ₹12,000 crore (US$1.7 billion)
Currently IR uses Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) on the busy Ghaziabad – Kanpur route and real-time train monitoring systems on Mumbai and Kolkata suburban routes

INDIAN RAILWAYS

LINKS WITH ADJACENT COUNTRIES

Rail links between India and neighboring countries are not well developed

PAKISTAN

Two trains operate to Pakistan : the Samjhauta Express between Delhi and Lahore and the Thar Express between Jodhpur and Karachi. But as of August 2019 – they have been cancelled due to the tension over Kashmir

BANGLADESH

Bangladesh is connected by the four times a week Maitree Express that runs from Kolkata to Dhaka and weekly Bandhan Express which began running commercial trips between Kolkata and Khulna in November 2017
Indian and Bangladeshi governments has started work on a new rail link to ease surface transport
India will build a 13 km (8.1 mi) railway linking Tripura’s capital Agartala with Bangladesh’s southeastern city of Akhaura – an important railway junction connected to Chittagong port resource – rich Sylhet and Dhaka
Total cost of the proposed project is estimated at ₹252 crore (US$36 million)
The Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON) is constructing the new railway tracks on both sides of the border
Of the 13 km (8.1 mi) rail line, 5 km (3.1 mi) of tracks fall in Indian territory
The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) is laying the connecting tracks for the new rail link on the Indian side, up to Tripura’s southern-most border town, Sabroom – 135 km (84 mi) south of Agartala. From Sabroom, the Chittagong international sea port is 72 km (45 mi) away

NEPAL

Two rail links to Nepal exist : passenger service between Jainagar and Bijalpura and freight services between Raxaul and Birganj

MYANMAR

No rail link exists with Myanmar but a railway line is to be built from Jiribam (in Manipur) to Tamu through Imphal and Moreh
The construction of this missing link, as per the feasibility study conducted by the Ministry of External Affairs through RITES Ltd, is estimated to cost ₹29.41 billion (US$430 million)

BHUTAN

An 18 km (11 mi) railway link with Bhutan is being constructed from Hashimara in West Bengal to Toribari in Bhutan

CHINA, SRILANKA : No rail link exists with either China or Sri Lanka

INDIAN RAILWAYS : SERVICES

PASSENGER SERVICE

STATION CATEGORIES

From December 2017, stations are categorised into the Non-Suburban Group NSG1 to NSG6, the Suburban Group SG1 to SG3, and the Halt Group HG1 to HG3 based on the earnings, passenger footfall and strategic importance
Before December 2017, stations were classified into A1, A, B, C, D, E and F categories, based only on the passenger earnings from the sales of platform tickets, thus limiting the ability of IR to better focus its investments in passenger amenities

TRAVEL CLASSES

Interior of a first-class compartment on the Rajdhani Express

Interior of a three-tier compartment

Interior of an air-conditioned chair-car coach on the Jan Shatabdi Express

IR has several classes of travel, with or without air-conditioning
A train may have one or several classes
Slow passenger trains have only unreserved seating and the Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express, Garib Rath Express, Double Decker Express, Tejas Express, Humsafar Express , Duronto Express , Yuva Express and Vande Bharat Express have only air-conditioned classes
Fares for all classes differ, and unreserved seating is the least expensive
Fares for the Rajdhani, Duronto Shatabdi and Vande Bharat Express trains include food
In September 2016, IR introduced dynamic fares for the Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi trains (except 1AC and EC classes) to increase revenue
Long-distance trains usually include a pantry car 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 has four unreserved (general) compartments, two at the front and two at the rear (one of which may be for women)
The number of other coaches varies by demand and route
A luggage compartment may be at the front or the rear
On some mail trains, a separate mail coach is attached. Lavatories are communal, and Indian- and Western-style
The classes in operation are (although a train may not have all these classes) :

Inside an Indian Railways Sleeper Coach

Class	Description
Saloon	IR has started to operate saloon coaches to give hotel ambience on trains These coaches operate on charter basis i.e. booking is required These have a master bedroom, one normal bedroom, one kitchen and window trailing Four to six extra beds are given to accommodate more people. First of these coach was attached to Jammu Mail
1A	AC first class : The most luxurious and expensive class of Indian Railways, with fares almost at par with airfares There are eight cabins (including two coupes) in full AC first class coach and three cabins (including one coupe) in the half AC first class coach The coach has an attendant, and bedding is included in the fare This air-conditioned coach, present only on popular routes can carry 18 (full coach) or 10 passengers (half coach)
2A	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 lengthwise across the corridor, with curtains along the corridor Bedding is included in the fare A coach can carry 48 (full coach) or 20 passengers (half coach)
3A	AC three tier : Air-conditioned coaches with 64 sleeping berths Berths are similar to 2A, but with three tiers across the width and two lengthwise for eight bays of eight They are slightly less well-appointed, usually with no reading lights or curtains Bedding is included in the fare
3E	AC three tier (economy) : Air-conditioned coaches with 81 sleeping berths on the Garib Rath Express Berths are usually arranged as in 3A, but with three tiers across the width and three lengthwise. Appointments are similar to 3A, and bedding is not included These coaches are also present in some Duronto Express trains as well
Vistadome	IR operates Vistadome glass roof coaches on some tourist routes These include Araku Valley, Konkan railway, Kalka-Shimla Railway, Kashmir Valley, Kangra Valley and Neral-Matheran route These coaches fare are equivalent to AC Executive Chair Car IR also has plans to start Vistadome on Nilgiri mountain railway
EA	Anubhutiv : Air-conditioned top-end class of Shatabdi Express These coaches were introduced in January 2018 First train to get these coaches is Chennai Central–Mysuru Shatabdi Express
EC	Executive chair car : An air-conditioned coach with spacious seats and legroom With four seats in a row, it is used for intercity day travel and is available on the Tejas , Shatabdi Express and Vande Bharat Express
CC	AC chair car : An air-conditioned coach with five seats in a row, used for intercity day travel Air-conditioned double-deck coaches are used on the Double Decker Express, Shatabdi, Vande Bharat and Intercity
SL	Sleeper class : The sleeper class is the most common coach on IR, with ten or more SL coaches attached to a train rake They are sleeping coaches with three berths across the width and two lengthwise, without air-conditioning They carry 72 passengers per coach
2S	Second seater : similar to CC, without air-conditioning Double-deck second seaters are used on the Flying Ranee
UR/GEN	Unreserved/General : The least-expensive accommodation, with a seat not guaranteed Tickets are valid on any train on a route if used within 24 hours of purchase

At the rear of the train is the guard’s cabin
It contains a transceiver, and is where the guard usually gives the all-clear signal before the train departs

INDIAN RAILWAYS : TYPES OF TRAINS

The Rajdhani Express. The long-distance, high-speed Rajdhani Expresses connect state capitals and large cities with New Delhi

Garib Rath Express, an economy air-conditioned train

Trains are sorted into categories which dictate the number of stops on a route, their priority on the network and their fare structure
Each express train is identified by a five-digit number
if the first digit is 1 or 2 in the train number, they are long-distance express trains
If the first digit is 0, the train is a special train which will operate for a limited period of time with a different fare structure
A first digit of 5 denotes a passenger train
The second digit indicates the zone operating the train
However, for high-speed trains, the second digit is either 0 or 2 (the first remains 1 or 2)
The third digit denotes the division within the zone which is responsible for maintenance and cleanliness, and the last two digits are the train’s serial number
The train numbering system was changed from four digits from December 2010 to accommodate an increasing number of trains.
Trains traveling in opposite directions along the same route are usually labelled with consecutive numbers
However, there is considerable variation in train numbers; some zones, such as Central Railway, have a less-systematic method of numbering trains
Trains are classified by average speed
A faster train has fewer stops (halts) than a slower one, and is usually used for long-distance travel
Most express trains have special names to identify them easily
The names of the trains usually denote the regions they connect, the routes they traverse, or a famous person or tourist spot connected with the train. For example : Andhra Pradesh Express connects New Delhi to Visakhapatnam

Train types	Description of Train
Vande Bharat Express	A semi-high-speed, air-conditioned day time journey train with facilities such as Wi-Fi, snack tables, CCTV cameras, hydraulic-pressure doors and a fire and smoke detection and extinguishing system It can run at a speed of 200 km/h It is the first hi-tech Loco-less train set made in India It was flagged off on 15 February 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi The model number for this particular train set is Train 18
Tejas Express	A semi-high-speed, air-conditioned train which had its inaugural run on 24 May 2017, covering 551.7 kilometres (343 mi) in eight hours, 30 minutes Coaches have bio-vacuum toilets, water-level indicators, tap sensors, hand dryers, integrated Braille displays, an LED TV for each passenger with a phone jack, local cuisine, Wi-Fi, tea and coffee vending machines, magazines, snack tables, CCTV cameras and a fire and smoke detection and extinguishing system It can run at a speed of 200 km/h but it is restricted to 130 km/h due to some technical reasons
Gatimaan Express	The first semi-high-speed, air-conditioned train running between Delhi and Jhansi with a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph)
Shatabdi Express	Air-conditioned, intercity trains for daytime travel. Unlike the Rajdhani or Duronto Expresses, the Shatabdi expresses make a round trip on the same day The Bhopal Shatabdi Express (train number 12001/12002) is India’s second-fastest train between New Delhi and Agra, with an average speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) and a top speed of 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph) The limited-stop trains have Wi-Fi
Rajdhani Express	Limited-stop, air-conditioned trains linking state capital to national capital, they have a top speed of 130–140 km/h (81–87 mph) The 2014 railway budget proposed increasing the Rajdhani and Shatabdi Expresses to 180 km/h (110 mph)
Duronto Express	Non-stop (except for technical halts) service introduced in 2009 In January 2016, it became possible to book tickets from those technical stops They connect India’s metros and major state capitals, and were introduced to equal (or exceed) the speed of the Rajdhani Express With air-conditioned one-, two- and three-tier seating, some have non-air-conditioned sleeper-class accommodations
Humsafar Express	Air-conditioned, three-tier coach trains with LED screens displaying information about stations and train speed, a PA system, vending machines for tea and coffee, charging ports for electronic devices, bio-toilets, smoke alarms, CCTV cameras, curtains and heating and refrigeration facilities for food. Inaugural run was between Gorakhpur to Anand Vihar Terminal
AC Express	Air-conditioned, limited-stop trains linking major cities, with a speed of about 130 km/h (81 mph)
Double Decker Express	Air-conditioned, limited-stop, two-tier express trains for daytime travel
Uday Express	Air-conditioned double decker train for overnight travel
Garib Rath Express	Air-conditioned, economy, three-tier trains with a top speed of 130 km/h (81 mph)
Yuva Express	Introduced with the Duronto Express to provide air-conditioned travel to young Indians, 60 percent of its seats were reserved for passengers between 18 and 45 years of age The trains were unsuccessful, and operate only on the Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routes
Jan Shatabdi Express	A more-economical version of the Shatabdi Express, with air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned classes and a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph)
Sampark Kranti Express	Express service to New Delhi
Kavi Guru Express	Introduced in honor of Rabindranath Tagore, four pairs of the trains operate on the network
Vivek Express	Introduced to commemorate the 150th birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda in 2013, four pairs of Vivek Expresses run in the country
Rajya Rani Express	Introduced to connect state capitals to major cities in that state
Mahamana Express	Superfast train with Indian Railways ModelRake coaches
Intercity Express	Introduced to connect major cities on short routes with high and semi-high speeds Trains include the Deccan Queen, Flying Ranee and Bilaspur Nagpur Intercity Express
Antyodaya Express	Non-reserved, high-speed LHB coaches on peak routes to ease congestion
Jan Sadharan Express	Non-reserved express trains on peak routes to ease congestion
Suvidha Express	High priority trains with dynamic pricing on high demand routes
Superfast Express	Trains with a max speed greater than 100–110 km/h (62–68 mph), average speed greater than 55 km/h (34 mph), whose tickets have a superfast surcharge, with stops at very few stations
Express	Trains with a max speed greater than 100 km/h (62 mph), average speed greater than 36 km/h (22 mph), with stops at few stations
Mail	These trains earlier had separate mail coaches. Nowadays, mail is carried in luggage coach like all other trains
Passenger	Slow, economical trains which stop at every (or almost every) station on a route With generally-unreserved seating. The trains travel at about 40–80 km/h (25–50 mph)
Suburban	These trains operate in Mumbai , Delhi , Kolkata , Chennai , Hyderabad , Ahmedabad , Vadodara , Surat , Bengaluru , Pune and between Kanpur and Lucknow – usually stop at every station, and have unreserved seating
Metro	Designed for urban transport, the first metro was the Kolkata Metro in 1984 There are 300 metro services daily carrying over 700000 passengers making it the second busiest metro system in India
Mountain Railways	Three of the lines were declared a World Heritage site as Mountain Railways of India by UNESCO

INDIAN RAILWAYS : TOURISM

Indian Railway operates tourist train or coach services on popular tourist circuits in different regions of the country. The service offers tour packages inclusive of rail travel, local transportation, accommodation, food and guided tours

IR offers various tourist services in this segment including Luxury tourist trains, Semi luxury trains, Buddhist special trains, Bharat Darshan trains, Aastha Circuit trains and Steam trains
The Palace on Wheels is a luxury-train service, frequently hauled by a steam locomotive, to promote tourism in Rajasthan. The train has a seven-night, eight-day itinerary on a round trip from New Delhi via Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur and Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur and Agra
Royal Rajasthan on Wheels covers a number of tourist destinations in Rajasthan. The seven-day, eight-night tour is a round trip from New Delhi’s Safdarjung station via Jodhpur, Udaipur and Chittaurgarh, Ranthambore National Park and Jaipur, Khajuraho, Varanasi and Sarnath, and Agra
Maharajas’ Express : A luxury train operated by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), runs on five routes to about 12 destinations across north-West and central India (centered around Rajasthan) from October to April
The Deccan Odyssey covers tourist destinations in Maharashtra and Goa. Its seven-night, eight-day tour begins in Mumbai and stops at Jaigad Fort, Ganapatipule and Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Tarkarli and Sawantwadi, Goa, Kolhapur and Pune (Day 5), Aurangabad and Ellora Caves, and Ajanta Caves and Nashik
The Golden Chariot runs on two tours : Pride of the South and Splendor of the South. The Golden Chariot is a luxury train service
The Mahaparinirvan Express : an air-conditioned service also known as the Buddhist Circuit Train, is run by the IRCTC for Buddhist pilgrims. Its seven-night, eight-day tour begins in New Delhi and visits Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda, Varanasi and Sarnath, Kushinagar and Lumbini, Sravasti and the Taj Mahal
The Fairy Queen : A tourist attraction as the world’s oldest operating steam engine, hauls a luxury train from Delhi to Alwar

INDIAN RAILWAYS : TICKETING

An Indian Railway ticket

Until the late 1980s, Indian Railways ticket reservations were made manually
In late 1987, IR began using a computerized ticketing system
The system went online in 1995 to provide current information on status and availability
The ticketing network at stations is computerized with the exception of remote areas, As of March 2017, close to 6000 stations are networked with reserved or unreserved ticketing systems across India
IR now provides multiple channels for passengers to book tickets between any two train stations in the country.
Reserved tickets may be booked, up to 120 days in advance, on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation website, smartphone apps, SMS, rail reservation counters at train stations or through private ticket booking counters
A Tatkal train ticket can be booked by passengers who want to travel at short notice with a reserved seat or berth, but such tickets are sold at higher fares than regular advance reservation tickets
Confirmed reservation tickets will show the passenger and fare details along with berth or seat number(s) allocated to them on the ticket
If the reservation is not available on a particular train, the ticket has a wait-list number. A person with a wait-listed ticket must wait for enough cancellations to obtain a confirmed ticket. If their ticket is not confirmed on the day of departure, they cannot board the train
Reservation against Cancellation (RAC) tickets, between the waiting and confirmed lists, allow a ticket holder to board the train and obtain a seat chosen by a ticket collector after the collector has found a vacant seat
Unreserved tickets (UT) for short distance or unplanned travels, may be purchased at stations at any time before departure, and such ticket holders may only board the general compartments. Suburban networks issue unreserved tickets valid for a limited time or season passes with unlimited travel between two stops for a period of time. Commuters can purchase tickets and season passes at stations or through UTS mobile apps
A valid proof for the purchase of ticket along with photo identification is required to board the train.
India has some of the lowest train fares in the world, and passenger traffic is subsidised by higher-class fares
Discounted tickets are available for senior citizens (over age 60), the differently-abled, students, athletes and those taking competitive examinations
One compartment of the lowest class of accommodation is earmarked for women on every passenger train
Some berths or seats are also reserved for women or senior citizens

INDIAN RAILWAYS : FREIGHT SERVICES

In the freight segment, IR ferries various commodities and fuels in industrial, consumer and agricultural segments across the length and breadth of India
IR has historically subsidised the passenger segment with income from the freight business
As a result, freight services are unable to compete with other modes of transport on both cost and speed of delivery, leading to continuous erosion of market share
To counter this downward trend, IR has started new initiatives in freight segments including upgrading of existing goods sheds, attracting private capital to build multi-commodity multi-modal logistics terminals, changing container sizes, operating time-tabled freight trains and tweaking with the freight pricing/product mix
Also, end-to-end integrated transport solutions such as roll-on, roll-off (RORO) service, a road-rail system pioneered by Konkan Railway Corporation in 1999 to carry trucks on flatbed trailers is now being extended to other routes across India
Perhaps the game changer for IR in the freight segment, are the new dedicated freight corridors that are expected to be completed by 2020
When fully implemented, the new corridors, spanning around 3300 km, could support hauling of trains up to 1.5 km in length with 32.5 ton axle-load at speeds of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph)
Also, they will free-up capacity on dense passenger routes and will allow IR to run more trains at higher speeds
Additional corridors are being planned to augment the freight infrastructure in the country

INDIAN RAILWAYS

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

IR has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites : the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai and the mountain railways of India
The Mountain Railways of India are three rail lines in different parts of India
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway : A 610 mm (2 ft) narrow-gauge railway in the Lesser Himalayas of West Bengal
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway : A 1000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) metre gauge rack railway in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu
The Kalka-Shimla Railway : A 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow-gauge railway in the Siwalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh

INDIAN RAILWAYS : FINANCES

IR carries an annual debt of over ₹200 billion (US$ 2.9 billion)
The passenger division lost ₹300 billion (US$4.3 billion) in FY 2013–2014, leading to a 23 paise (0.33¢ US) loss per passenger-km and a cash surplus of ₹6.9 billion (US$100 million)
Its operating ratio was 109 percent from April to December 2016
It’s accounting systems are allegedly outdated
Between 2004 and 2014, 99 new rail projects were announced in the annual Rail Budgets without additional funding
One project has been completed; the remaining 98 will require ₹5 trillion (US$72 billion), including four projects which were 30 years old in 2014
IR is losing passenger and freight market share to other modes of transport

INDIAN RAILWAYS : INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure modernisation projects include high-speed rail, with the first Ahmedabad-Mumbai train in operation in 2022
Redevelopment of 400 stations by monetizing 2700 acres (11 km²) of spare railway land under a ₹1070,000 crore (US$155 billion) plan
Doubling tracks to reduce congestion and delays while improving safety (15000 km of double track existed in 2016, and funding for 12500 km more was approved that year)
The refurbishing of 12- to 15-year-old coaches at the Carriage Rehabilitation Workshop in Bhopal to enhance passenger amenities and fire safety
Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled tracking of trains to improve safety and service
Digital India-driven digitalization : ₹3500000 million (equivalent to ₹3.7 trillion or US$53 billion in 2018) digitalisation of the railway to improve efficiency and reduce cost
Rainwater harvesting : with 1885 systems installed by December 2016 and reforestation of railway land and along the tracks
Electrification and power : All routes will be electrified to save on imported-fuel costs. 49 percent of the network was electrified by March 2018, with full electrification planned by March 2021
Off-the-grid Solar-powered trains are planned with the installation of one gigawatt of solar and 130 megawatts of wind power between 2017 and 2022
India introduced the world’s first solar-powered train and 50 coaches with rooftop solar farms in June 2017. Initial assessments of this experiment has been positive
Rooftop solar electricity is planned at stations to reduce long-term fuel costs and protect the environment and sustainable LED lighting at all stations is planned by March 2018 to cut electricity costs
Locomotive factories have been modernised, including two new factories in Bihar: an electric locomotive factory in Madhepura and a diesel locomotive factory in Marhaura, and 2285 bio-toilets were introduced from April to July 2014
A ₹200 billion (US$2.9 billion) partnership with Alstom to supply 800 electric locomotives from 2018 to 2028 was announced
Improving Safety : Safety projects include the elimination of an average of 1217 unguarded level crossings per year by building an average of 1,066 overpasses and underpasses per year
An automated fire alarm system on Rajdhani Express trains was begun in 2013, extending to the air-conditioned coaches of all trains
6095 GPS-enabled Fog Pilot Assistance System railway signalling devices (replacing the practice of placing firecrackers on tracks to alert train drivers) installed in 2017 in four zones : Northern, North Central, North Eastern and North Western
Replacing ICF coaches with LHB coaches

INDIAN RAILWAYS : RECORDS

Vivek Express has the longest route in India, which covers 4286 km in about 82 hours and 30 minutes. The train runs between Dibrugarh and Kanyakumari.
In its route, Howrah-Amritsar Express has 115 stops. The train has the record for maximum stops by an Express/Mail train
The fastest train by average speed in India is Vande Bharat Express which runs between Delhi and Varanasi
The fastest train by top speed in India is Gatimaan Express which runs between Delhi and Jhansi
Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station is the longest railway station name in India