Rail transport in India

Rail transport is commonly used mode of long-distance Transport in India. Almost all rail operations
in India are handled by Indian Railways, a state-owned organization of the Ministry of Railways. The
rail network traverses the length and breadth of the country, covering in 2011 a total length of 64,460
kilometres (40,050 mi).[2]:3 It is the 4th largest railway network in the world,[4] transporting 7.651 billion
passengers and over 921 million tonnes of freight annually, as of 2011.[2]:3, 56 Its operations
cover twenty eight states and three union territories and also provides limited service to Nepal,
Bangladesh and Pakistan. Both passenger and freight traffic has seen steady growth, and as per the
2009 Railway budget presented by the Railway Minister, the Indian Railways carried over 7 billion
passengers in 2009.
Railways were introduced to India in 1853 from Mumbai to Thane,[5] and by the time of India's
independence in 1947 they had grown to forty-two rail systems. In 1951 the systems
were nationalised as one unitIndian Railwaysto form one of the largest networks in the world.
The broad gauge is the majority and original standard gauge in India; more recent networks
of metre and narrow gaugeare being replaced by broad gauge under Project Unigauge. The steam
locomotives have been replaced over the years with dieseland electric locomotives.
Locomotives manufactured at several places in India are assigned codes identifying their gauge,
kind of power and type of operation. Colour signal lights are used as signals, but in some remote
areas of operation, the older semaphores and disc-based signalling are still in use. Accommodation
classes range from general through first class AC. Trains have been classified according to speed
and area of operation. All trains are officially identified by a five-digit code (changed from four digits
on 20 December 2010)[6] though many are commonly known by unique names. The ticketing system
has been computerised to a large extent, and there are reserved as well as unreserved categories of
tickets.
A plan for a rail system in India was first put forward in 1832. The first rail line of the Indian subcontinent came up near Chintadripet Bridge (presently in Chennai) in Madras Presidency in 1836
as an experimental line.[7][8] In 1837, a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) long rail line was established between Red
Hills and stone quarries near St. Thomas Mount.[9] In 1844, the Governor-General of India Lord
Hardinge allowed private entrepreneurs to set up a rail system in India. The East India
Company (and later the British Government) encouraged new railway companies backed by private
investors under a scheme that would provide land and guarantee an annual return of up to five
percent during the initial years of operation. The companies were to build and operate the lines
under a 99-year lease, with the government having the option to buy them earlier.[10]
Two new railway companies, Great Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR) and East Indian Railway(EIR),
were created in 185354 to construct and operate two 'experimental' lines near Mumbai and Kolkata
respectively.[10] The first train in India had become operational on 22 December 1851 for localised
hauling of canal construction material in Roorkee.[11] A year and a half later, on 16 April 1853, the first
passenger train service was inaugurated between Bori Bunder in Mumbai and Thane. Covering a
distance of 34 kilometres (21 mi), it was hauled by three locomotives, Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan.

This was soon followed by opening of the first passenger railway line in North India between
Allahabad and Kanpur on 3 March 1859.
[12]

Suggestion
India started out with a transportation handicap. The tight economic controls that bound our first 45
years held back the development of transportation industries and tangled plans for road systems and
bridges. In 1991, Indias transformation from a near-closed economy to a fast-changing liberalizer
unleashed thrilling economic growth.
With growth came the rise of new wealthy and middle classes, spurring demand for goods and
services. Suddenly, corporate India urgently needed better transportation and infrastructure, from
freight facilities to public transportation for commuting employees, and the newly prosperous wanted
their own two wheelers and vehicles. The Indian automotive industry took off to meet the demands of
both businesses and individuals. Today, India is among the fastest growing automotive markets in
the world. The challenge now is to catch our infrastructure up to the demandand the opportunity is
to leapfrog the polluting industrial phase experienced in the Western world. International studies
have shown that road transport accounts for 16% of global manmade CO 2 emissions. As an
automotive company, our responsibility is to manufacture vehicles that provide society with
sustainable mobility.

But the challenge in India is more complex than inventing brilliant new technologies. India faces
issues in fuel infrastructure, road infrastructure, and price sensitivity. We need to look at these
holistically when we design solutions for tomorrows world.
One part of the solution is Government legislation to support the nascent sustainable transportation
industry. It was only in 1991 that the first stage emission norms came into force for petrol vehicles;
norms for diesel vehicles were passed in 1992. Today, we lag EU norms by about four years. We
need more urgent regulations to drive improvementand further incentives to nurture product
development.

Notes[edit]
1.

^ Jump up to:a b c "Railway Statistics 2014 Synopsis" (PDF). Paris, France: International
Union of Railways, IUC. 2014. Retrieved 2015-09-09.[dead link]

2.

^ Jump up to:a b c "Indian Railways Yearbook 201011" (PDF). Ministry of Railways,

Government of India. Retrieved 3 April 2013.

3.

Jump
up^http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/IRSB_201213/PDF/Statistical_Summary/Summary%20Sheet_Eng.pdf

4.

Jump up^ "CIA The World Factbook Country Comparison :: Railways". CIA. Retrieved8
July 2009.

5.

Jump up^ "Indian Railways in Postal Stamps". IRFCA.org. Indian Railways Fan Club.
Retrieved 12 May 2007.

6.

^ Jump up to:a b "New Train Number Enquiry". Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Inquiry.
Centre For Railway Information Systems. Retrieved 5 February 2011.

7.

Jump up^ "A railwayman recalls". The Hindu Business Line. 9 September 2005. Retrieved2
August 2010.

https://www.google.co.in
http://www.ppiaf.org/
http://praja.in/hi/~bangalore/discuss/forums/2008/08/indian-railways-invitessuggestions-from-the-public
http://rajan-c-mathew.blogspot.in/
http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/
https://www.localcircles.com
http://rise.mahindra.com/the-evolution-of-india%E2%80%99s-transportation-needs/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_India