Rail transport in India
Rail transport in India consists of primarily of passenger and freight shipments along an integrated rail network. Indian Railways (IR), a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India, operates India's national railway system. It is the primary owner and operator of rail operations throughout the country including suburban rail in major metros.
Railway Transport In India
1,655 km (1,028 mi)[1]
1,294 km (804 mi)[1]
Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel, 11.215 km (6.969 mi)
156,417 (2022)[1]
Bogibeel Bridge, 4.94 km (3.07 mi)[5]
- Total: 8016
- Regular/Suburban: 6268[1]
- Metro: 748
2,257 m (7,405 ft)
3 m (10 ft)
Burra Bazar and Honnavar
Majority of the metro urban rail networks are operated by independent bodies constituted for the purpose of the respective operations. Private owned rails exist in few places, mostly used to connect freight to the integrated rail network. Inter-city rail services are operated primarily by Indian Railways though efforts have been made to introduce privately operated trains as recently as 2022.
The national rail network comprised total route length of 68,907 km (42,817 mi), with more than 129,000 km (80,000 mi) of track and 8,000+ stations and is the fourth-largest in the world. It is one of the busiest networks in the world, transporting more than 11 billion passengers and 1.416 billion tonnes of freight annually. As of October 2023, more than 60,813 km (37,787 mi) of all the routes have been electrified with 25 KV AC electric traction. The rolling stock consisted of 318,196 freight wagons, 84,863 passenger coaches, 14,781 locomotives and other multiple units owned by Indian Railways apart from rail-sets operated by metro rail corporations.
Studies by economic historians have identified substantially beneficial economic effects from the Indian railway network.[6][7]
History[edit]
1832–1852: Industrial railways[edit]
In 1832, the proposal to construct the first railway line in India at Madras was made.[8][9] In 1835, a railway track was constructed between Red Hills and Chintadripet in Madras and became operational in 1837. It was hauled by a rotary steam engine imported from England and was used for ferrying granite.[10]
The Madras Railway was established in 1845.[9] Temporary railway lines were built such as the Godavari Dam Construction Railway at Dowleswaram by Arthur Cotton to supply stone for the construction of a dam over the Godavari River in 1845 and the Solani aqueduct railway, built by Proby Cautley in Roorkee to transport construction materials for an aqueduct over the Solani river in 1851.[9] On 1 August 1849, the Great Indian Peninsular Railway was incorporated with a guarantee system providing free land and guaranteeing five-percent rates of return to private English companies building railways.[9] In 1852, a steam locomotive imported from England was tried at Byculla.[11]
Private railways[edit]
The state-owned Indian Railways has an almost monopoly over rail operations. There are a few private railway lines used exclusively for transporting freight and to connect with the wider network. Private railways are operated by various ports such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Pipavav and the Bhilai Steel Plant. The Tata Group operates a few funicular railways.[185] In 2020, Indian Railways allowed the operation of private passenger trains for the first time with the first train flagged off from Coimbatore in June 2022.[93]
Suburban[edit]
Rolling stock[edit]
In the 1960s, Electric multiple units (EMU) were developed for short-haul and suburban rail transit.[186][187] On short-distance routes, Mainline electrical multiple unit (MEMU) and Diesel electrical multiple unit (DEMU) trains are also run. These train sets run in formation of 6, 9, 12 or 15 coaches and a three-car set is typified by a motor coaches and two passenger coaches.[188][189] These train-sets are self-propelled with capability for faster acceleration or deceleration.[190]
Others[edit]
Apart from standard passenger and freight services, the Indian Railways operates other specialized coaches with various functions.[124] These include accident relief medical vans,[223][224] military cars,[223] inspection carriages,[225] and parcel vans.[103] Various coaches such as pantry car,[226] generator cars,[227] and brake vans are attached to train-sets.[228][229]
Manufacturing and maintenance[edit]
Indian Railways operates various manufacturing units. Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), commissioned in 1950, was the first locomotive manufacturing unit in India.[42] The first rail coache manufacturing unit, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) was established at Madras in 1956.[47] Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), commissioned in 1961, is the second locomotive manufacturing unit operated by Indian Railways.[230] Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Patiala Locomotive Works, Diesel Locomotive Factory, Marhowrah and Electric Locomotive Factory, Madhepura also manufacture locomotives in India.[112] Railway coaches are also manufactured at coach factories at Karputhala, Raebareli, Sonipat and Latur.[112] Indian Railways also operates two rail wheel manufacturing factories at Bangalore and Chhpra.[112] The locomotives are operated and maintained by 44 locomotive sheds.[101][100] Indian Railways also maintains 37 sheds for the maintenance of multiple unit train-sets. The repair and maintenance of the fleet of other rolling stock is carried out at 212 carriage & wagon repair units and 45 periodic overhaul workshops across various zones of IR.[1] Metro coaches are manufactured by various companies including state-owned ICF, BEML and private companies like Alstom, Mitsubishi, Hyundai Rotem, Bombardier, Siemens, CRRC, Titagarh Firema and CAF with the respective metro systems maintaining their own maintenance depots.[202][203]