Rail transport is a commonly used mode of long-distance transportation in India. Rail operations are largely run by a state-owned company, Indian Railways. The rail network traverses the length and breadth of the country, covering a total length of 63,140 kilometres (39,234 mi).[1] It is one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world, transporting over 5 billion passengers and over 350 million tonnes of freight annually.[1] Its operations cover twenty-eight states and three union territories and also link the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.Railways were introduced to India in 1853 (they were needed badly),[2] 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 unit—Indian Railways—to form one of the largest networks in the world. 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. Many trains are officially identified by a four-digit code, though many are commonly known by unique names also. Ticketing system has been computerised to a large extent, and there are reserved as well as unreserved categories of tickets.
History
The British administration considered setting up rail systems in India in the early 1830s.The main objective was rapid transport of British troops from one place to another in case rebellion by locals.In 1844, Governor-General of India Lord Hardinge allowed private entrepreneurs to set up rail systems in India. East India Company was asked to help the private rail companies. Over the next few years, rail systems were rapidly created in India by a number of private investors. The first train in India became operational on December 22, 1851, and was used to haul construction material in Roorkee. Less than two years later, on April 16, 1853, the first passenger train between Bori Bunder, Bombay and Thana covering a distance of 34 km (21 mi) was inaugurated, formally heralding the birth of passenger railways in India.[3][4]
The British government encouraged the setting up of railway companies by private investors under a scheme that would guarantee an annual return of five percent during the initial years of operation.[5][6] Once completed, the company would then be transferred to the government, but the original company would retain operational control. This network had a total length of about 14,500 km (9,010 mi) by 1880, mostly radiating inward from the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. By 1895, India had started building its own locomotives, and in 1896 sent engineers and locomotives to help build the Uganda Railways.
Soon various independent kingdoms started constructing their own rail systems. A Railway Board assumed office in 1905,[7] but the powers were still formally held by the Viceroy, Lord Curzon.[8] The Department of Commerce and Industry[7] oversaw the functioning of the Railway Board which consisted of three members—a bureaucrat serving as the chairman, a railway manager from England and an agent of one of the company railways. For the first time in its history, the Railways began to make a tidy profit. In 1907, almost all the rail companies were taken over by the government.
The following year, the first electric locomotive made its appearance. With the arrival of First World War, the railways were used to meet the needs of the British outside India. By the end of the First World War, the railways had suffered immensely, and were in a poor state. The government took over the management of the Railways and removed the link between the finances of the Railways and other governmental revenues in 1920.
The Second World War severely crippled the railways as trains were diverted to the Middle East, and the railway workshops converted into munitions workshops. At the time of independence in 1947, a big chunk of the railways went to the then newly formed Pakistan. A total of forty-two separate railway systems, including thirty-two lines owned by the former Indian princely states were amalgamated as a single unit which was christened as the Indian Railways.
The existing rail networks were abandoned in favour of zones in 1951[9] and a total of six zones came into being in 1952.[10] As the economy of India improved, almost all railway production units were indigenised. By 1985, steam locomotives were phased out in favour of diesel and electric locomotives. The entire railway reservation system was streamlined with computerisation in 1995. As of 2007, Indian Railway covers twenty-five states and three union territories (Delhi, Puducherry and Chandigarh). Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya are the only states not connected.
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