- Indian railway system is the main artery of the country’s inland transport.
- Railways are considered as the backbone of the surface transport system of India.
- It promotes national integration by bringing people together.
- It also promotes trade, tourism, education etc.
- Railways help in the commercialization of the agriculture sector by facilitating the bulky movement of perishable goods.
- Its role in transporting raw materials to industries and finished goods to markets is invaluable.
- Indian railways network is the largest in Asia and second largest in the world.
- For operations and management, the Indian Railways is organized into 17 zones.
| Zone | Headquarters |
|---|---|
| Northern Railway | New Delhi |
| North-Western Railway | Jaipur |
| North-Central Railway | Allahabad |
| North-Eastern Railway | Gorakhpur |
| North-East Frontier Railway | Guwahati |
| Eastern Railway | Kolkata |
| East coast Railway | Bhubaneswar |
| East-Central Railway | Hazipur |
| West-Central Railway | Jabalpur |
| Central Railway | Mumbai (VT) |
| Western Railway | Mumbai (Churchgate) |
| Southern Railway | Chennai |
| South-Central Railway | Secunderabad |
| South Eastern Railway | Kolkata |
| South-Western Railway | Hubball |
| South East Central Railway | Bilaspur |
| Konkan Railway | Navi Mumbai |
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Broad gauge (1.676 meter width)
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Meter gauge (1 meter width)
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Narrow gauge (0.762 meter width)
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Light gauge (0.610 meter width)
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The first sub-urban railway was started in 1925 in Mumbai.
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Gatiman Express is the fastest operational train in India.
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This train connects New Delhi and Agra and touches 160 km/h.
Metro Railways in India
- There are 8 cities with metro rail connectivity in India.
- They are Kolkata (West Bengal), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Delhi, Bengaluru (Karnataka), Gurgaon (Haryana), Mumbai (Maharashtra), Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Kochi (Kerala).
- The metro in Kolkata is the first one in India.
- It is also called as Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS).
- As of November 2022, India has 810 km of operational metro lines and 381 stations.