Indian Railways is astate-owned enterprise organised as a departmental undertaking of theMinistry of Railways of theGovernment of India and operates India's national railway system.[b] As of 2024[update], it manages the fourthlargest national railway system by size, with a track length of 135,207 km (84,014 mi), running track length of 109,748 km (68,194 mi) and route length of 69,181 km (42,987 mi), of which 66,820 km (41,520 mi) is1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)broad gauge. As of August 2024[update], 96.59% of the broad-gauge network iselectrified. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is the world'sninth-largest employer andIndia's second largest employer.
In 1951, the Indian Railways was established by the amalgamation of 42 different railway companies operating in the country, spanning a total of 55,000 km (34,000 mi). The railway network across the country was reorganized into six regional zones in 1951–52 for administrative purposes, which was gradually expanded to 18 zones over the years.[a]
The firststeam locomotive hauled railway operated in 1837 inMadras for ferrying cargo. The first passenger railway was operated in 1853 betweenBombay andThane. In 1925, the firstelectric train ran in Bombay onDC traction. The first locomotive manufacturing unit was commissioned in 1950 atChittaranjan with the firstcoach manufacturing unit set-up at Madras in 1955.
Indian Railways runs various classes ofexpress,passenger,suburban, andfreight trains. In 2023–24, it operated 13,198 passenger trains on average daily covering 7,325 stations and carried 6.905 billion passengers. It operated 11,724 freight trains on average daily and transported 1588.06 million tonnes offreight.[3] Indian Railways operates multiple classes ofrolling stock, manufactured by self-ownedcoach-production facilities. As of 31 March 2024[update], Indian Railways'rolling stock consisted of 327,991freight wagons, 91,948passenger coaches (including multiple unit coaches) and 10,675electric, 4,397diesel and 38steam locomotives.[3]
In 1832 the proposal to construct the first railway line in India atMadras was made.[5][6] In 1835, arailway track was constructed betweenRed Hills andChintadripet inMadras and became operational in 1837. It was hauled by arotary steam engine imported fromEngland and was used for ferryinggranite.[7]
TheMadras Railway was established in 1845 and theGreat Indian Peninsular Railway was incorporated in 1849.[6] Temporary railway lines were built such as the railway line atDowleswaram built byArthur Cotton to supply stone for the construction of a dam over theGodavari River in 1845 and the Solani aqueduct railway, built byProby Cautley inRoorkee to transport construction materials for anaqueduct over the Solani river in 1851.[6] In 1852, asteam locomotive imported from England was tried atByculla.[8] In 1853, the first passenger train on1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)broad gauge ran for 34 kilometres (21 mi) betweenBombay andThane which had 14-carriages carrying 400 people, hauled by three steam locomotives: the Sahib, Sindh and Sultan.[9][10] This day is considered to be the formation date of the Indian Railways and is marked annually as Indian Railways Day.[11][12]
The Thane viaducts, the firstrailway bridges, were built over theThane creek when the Mumbai-Thane line was extended toKalyan in May 1854.Eastern India's first passenger train ran 39 km (24 mi) fromHowrah, nearKolkata, toHoogly on 15 August 1854.[6] The construction of the first main line inSouth India betweenRoyapuram in Madras andArcot started in 1853, which became operational on 1 July 1856.[13] On 24 February 1873, ahorse-drawn 3.8 km (2.4 mi)tram opened inCalcutta betweenSealdah and Armenian Ghat street.[14] In 1875, a railway line was opened betweenMokama andDarbhanga by the local rulerLakshmeshwar Singh throughTirhut Railway.[15] On 9 May 1874, a horse-drawn tramway began operation in Bombay betweenColaba andParel.[16] In 1879, theNizam's Guaranteed State Railway was established which built railway lines across the thenHyderabad State fromKachiguda.[17] In 1877,Ajmer built "F1" class metre-gauge steam locomotive no. 734 became the first indigenously built locomotive in India.[18] In 1897, lighting in passenger coaches was introduced with Jodhpur Railway, the first to introduce electric lighting as a standard fixture.[6]
The firstrailway budget was presented in 1924.[6] On 3 February 1925, the firstelectric train ran between Bombay andKurla, hauled by aSLMelectric locomotive onDC traction.[19] In 1925, the firstElectric Multiple Units (EMU) were introduced in Bombay with1500 V DC units imported fromCammell Laird andUerdingenwagonfabrik.[20]Chennai suburban railway started operating in 1931 with a singlemetre-gauge line fromChennai Beach toTambaram.[21] In the period between 1925 and 1944, the management of the railway companies in the British presidencies and provinces was taken over by the Government.[22]
In 1950, there were about 42 different railway companies operating about 55,000 km (34,000 mi) tracks across the country.[23][24] These railway companies were amalgamated in steps to form a single entity named as Indian Railways.[25] In December 1950, the Central Advisory Committee for Railways approved the plan for re-organizing Indian Railways into sixregional zones with theSouthern (14 April 1951),Central (5 November 1951), andWestern (5 November 1951) zones being the first to be created.[24][26][22] In 1952, fans and lights were mandated for all compartments in passenger trains and sleeping accommodations were introduced in coaches.[6] The firstdiesel locomotive used in India was fabricated byNorth British Locomotive Company in 1954.[27]
The first locomotive manufacturing unit atChittaranjan was commissioned in 1950.[28] The first rail coaches were manufactured in India from 1956 when theIntegral Coach Factory was established at Madras.[29] In 1956, the firstair-conditioned train plied betweenHowrah andNew Delhi.[30] In 1957, Indian Railways adopted25 kV AC traction with the first runs beginning in December 1959 with theWAM-1 locomotives.[20] The firstcontainerizedfreight rail transport began between Bombay andAhmedabad in 1966.[6] In 1969, theGovernment of India announced the introduction of a new express train capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) in therailway budget and the first Rajdhani Express was flagged off from New Delhi to Howrah in March 1969.[31][32] In 1974, Indian Railways endured a 20-daystrike.[33][34] The firstmetro rail was introduced in Calcutta on 24 October 1984.[35]
In 1986, computerized ticketing and reservations were introduced.[36] In 1988, the firstShatabdi Express was introduced between New Delhi andJhansi.[6] Two years later, the first self-printing ticket machine (SPTM) was introduced in Delhi.[37] In 1993, air-conditioned three-tier andsleeper were introduced.[6] In 1995,Chennai MRTS became the first operational elevated railway line in India.[21] Centralized computer reservation system was deployed in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai in September 1996, coupon validating machines (CVMs) were introduced atMumbai CSMT in 1998 and the nationwideconcierge system began operation on 18 April 1999.[6]
The Indian Railways website went online in February 2000.Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) was incorporated in 1999 and online ticketing was introduced on 3 August 2002 through IRCTC.[38] In 2015, the firstCompressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered trains were rolled out.[39] Since 1925, the Railway budget was presented before theUnion budget till 2016. Thecentral government approved themerger of the Rail and General budgets from 2017.[40] On 31 March 2017, Indian Railways announced a target of electrifying the entire rail network would be electrified by 2023.[41] In March 2020, Indian Railways announced anationwide shutdown of passenger service to combat theCOVID-19 pandemic in India with the freight operations continuing to transport essential goods.[42][43][44] The railways resumed passenger services in a phased manner in May 2020.[45]
Starting in the 2010s, various infrastructure modernization projects have been undertaken includinghigh-speed rail,[46][47] redevelopment of 400 stations,[48]doubling tracks to reduce congestion,[49] refurbishing of coaches,[50][51]Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled tracking of trains[52] and modernization of locomotives.[53][54] In 2018, a semi-high speed self-propelledtrain-set capable of reaching speeds of over 160 km/h (99 mph) was rolled out from ICF and theVande Bharat Express was launched in 2019.[55][56] Indian Railways announced plans to become a net-zero carbon emission railway by 2030 and has implementedrainwater harvesting at stations,[57]reforestation along the tracks,[58] introduction of solar-powered trains,[59] installation ofsolar andwind power generation facilities,[60] andsustainableLED lighting at all the stations.[61] Indian railways removed all unstaffed level crossings by 2019 with staffed level crossings being replaced by bridges.[62] Other safety projects include the extension of an automatedfire alarm system to all air-conditioned coaches and GPS-enabledFog Pilot Assistance Systemrailway signalling devices.[63] In 2020, Indian Railways allowed the operation of private passenger trains for the first time with the first train flagged off fromCoimbatore in June 2022.[64][65]
Indian Railways is astate-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of theMinistry of Railways of theGovernment of India.[b][68][69] It is governed by aRailway Board, which acts on behalf of the Ministry of Railways.[69][70] The five member Railway board is headed by achairman cum chief executive officer, and consists of members responsible forinfrastructure,traction &rolling stock,operations &business development, andfinance.[71] Additionally, officers on special duty include those overseeinghuman resources,Railway Protection Force,health andsafety.[72][73]
Indian Railways is divided into 18 administrative zones (17 operational), headed by general managers which are further subdivided into 68 operatingdivisions, headed by divisional railway managers (DRM).[72] The divisional officers of the respective operating verticals report to the DRMs and divisional heads and are tasked with the operation and maintenance of assets. Station masters control individual stations and train movements through their stations' territory.[3] In addition, there are a number ofmanufacturing units,training establishments,PSUs and other undertakings under the purview of the Indian Railways.[72]
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Staff are classified into gazetted (Groups A and B) and non-gazetted (Groups C and D) employees with gazetted employees carrying out executive/managerial level tasks.[74] As of 31 March 2024[update], Groups A & B constitute 1.4% of the total workforce, while Group C (into which Group D merged before 2020) accounts for 98.6%.[3] 80% of Group-A employees are recruited throughIndian Railways Management Service with remaining through promotions.[75]
Group B employees are recruited by departmental promotional exams of Group C employees. Recruitment of Group C employees are through exams conducted by theRailway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB) and Group D staffs are recruited by zonal Railway Recruitment Cells (RRC).[76] Indian Railways operatesseven centralized training institutes and 295 training centers. It also provideshousing,healthcare andeducation facilities for staff.[3]
As of 2024, Indian railways employed 1.25 million people.[3] In March 2025, there were 0.13 million women employees including 2,162 loco pilots, 794 train managers, and 1,699 station masters.[77][78]
Indian Railways has variouspublic sector undertakings (PSUs) and other organisations under its purview:[3]
Indian Railways also has multiple bodies and undertakings under its purview such as:[3]
The first trains in the 1800s were hauled by imported steam locomotives.[6] In 1877, the first locomotive was built in India.[8] Electric locomotives were introduced in 1925 and diesel locomotives later in 1954.[27][19] By 1990s, steam locomotives were phased out and are currently operated only onmountain railways and onheritage trains. Locomotives are classified bytrack gauge (broad/metre/narrow/narrower),motive power (electric/diesel/battery), function (passenger/goods/mixed),power rating (x1000HP) and model in a four or five letter code.[80] The locomotives may beLonger Hood Front (LHF), where the driver cabin is behind the hood of the engine orShort Hood Front (SHF), where the cabin is located towards the front.[80] Multiple units (MU) are propelled by locomotives integrated with train-sets. In 2015, the firstcompressed natural gas (CNG) powered MUs were rolled out by ICF.[39] In 2018, the semi-high speed self-propelled Vande Bharat train-set was rolled out from ICF.[55] Locomotives are manufactured by five owned manufacturing units of the Indian Railways andBHEL.[81] As of 2021[update], 37% of the trains were operated by diesel locomotives and rest mostly by electric locomotives.[82] As of September 2025[update], Indian Railways has 12,919 electric and 4,163 diesel locomotives amongst others.[83][84]
The early rail coaches were based on a prototype by aSwiss company and were termed asICF coaches after Integral Coach Factory (ICF), the first coach manufacturing unit in India.[29] These coaches, manufactured from 1955 to 2018, were largely in use till the early 2010s.[85] From the late 1990s, the ICF coaches were replaced by safer and newerLHB coaches designed byLinke-Hofmann-Busch ofGermany.[86][87] In the late 2010s, Indian railways started upgrading the coaches of select trains from LHB toTejas coaches with enhanced features and the introduction of trainsets with specialised coaches such as Vande Bharat.[88][89][90] As of 31 March 2024[update], Indian Railways had 91,948 passenger coaches, including 65,016 conventional, 12,229 EMU and 1,681 DMU coaches.[3] Coaches are manufactured by five manufacturing units of the Indian Railways and public sector companiesBEML and BHEL.[81] The coaching stock have unique five or six digit identifiers. Till 2018, the first two digits indicating the year of manufacture and the last three digits indicating the class.[91] In 2018, the numbering system was changed with the first two digits indicating the year of manufacture and the last four digits indicating the sequence number.[92]
In the 1960s,electric multiple units (EMU) were developed for short-haul and suburban rail transit.[93][94] On regional short-distance routes,mainline electrical multiple unit (MEMU) anddiesel electrical multiple unit (DEMU) trains are 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.[95][96] These train-sets are self-propelled with capability for faster acceleration or deceleration.[97] In 2018, Indian Railways also rolled out semi-high speed self-propelled train sets with modified coaches for inter city trains.[55]
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Indian Railways hauls variouscargo and operates specialised rolling stock for cargo. There are 243 types ofrolling stock used for cargo operations includingcovered wagons,boxcars,flat wagons,flatbeds,open wagons,hoppers,containers, automobile carriers, defense vehicle carriers andtankers.[98][99] The freight cars can carry loads ranging from 10 to 80 tonnes per car depending on the configuration.[99] A new wagon numbering system was adopted in Indian Railways in 2003.[100] The requirement of wagons was previously exclusively met byBharat Wagon and Engineering with the procurement and manufacturing done by various public and private sector companies in the 2020s.[3] In 2025, Indian Railways announced the implementation of anartificial intelligence based technology aimed at detecting unlocked doors in freight wagons during transit.[101]
Apart from standard passenger classes, the Indian Railways has other specialized coach types used for dedicated functions.[102] These include accident relief medical vans,[103][104] brake vans,[105][106] generator cars,[107] inspection carriages,[108] military cars,[103]pantry car[109] and parcel vans.[110] These may be dedicated self-propelled units or attached to train-sets.[111][112]
Indian Railways operates various manufacturing units.Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), commissioned in 1950, was the first locomotive manufacturing unit in India.[28] The first rail coach manufacturing unit, theIntegral Coach Factory (ICF) was established at Madras in 1956.[29]Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), commissioned in 1961, is the second locomotive manufacturing unit operated by Indian Railways.[113] BHEL,Patiala Locomotive Works,Diesel Locomotive Factory, Marhowrah andElectric Locomotive Factory, Madhepura also manufacture locomotives in India.[81] Railway coaches are also manufactured at coach factories atKarputhala,Raebareli,Sonipat andLatur.[81] Indian Railways also operates threerail wheel manufacturing factories atBangalore,Bela and Raebareli.[81][114]
The locomotives are operated and maintained by 40 locomotive sheds.[115][116] The repair and maintenance of the fleet of other rolling stock is carried out at 294 carriage & wagon repair units across various zones of IR.[3]
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As of 31 March 2024[update], Indian railway network spanned 69,181 km (42,987 mi) in route length. With 31,094 km (19,321 mi) of the lines having two or more tracks, total running track length was 109,748 km (68,194 mi), while total trackage (including sidings) was 135,207 km (84,014 mi).[3] The network was built with a variety ofgauges, including1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)broad gauge,1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge and762 mm (2 ft 6 in) and610 mm (2 ft)narrow gauge; but a long-term effort,Project Unigauge, aims to convert most of these to broad gauge. As of 31 March 2024[update], 66,820 km (41,520 mi) or 96.59% of the network was broad-gauge, 1,159 km (720 mi) or 1.68% metre-gauge and 1,202 km (747 mi) or 1.74% narrow-gauge.[3] The broad-gauge network is equipped withlong-welded, high-tensile52kg/60kg 90 UTS rails withprestressed concrete sleepers and elastic fastenings.[3]
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 160 km/h (99 mph).[3] As of 2025[update], 23,010 km (14,300 mi) (21.1%) of the tracks are capable of handling speeds of above 130 km/h (81 mph) and 59,800 km (37,200 mi) (56.6%) of the tracks are capable of handling speeds between 110–130 km/h (68–81 mph).[117]
As of July 2020, there are seven major routes a total length of 11,295 km (7,018 mi) which have been classified as High-Density Network (HDN) routes or trunk routes. These routes are designed for a maximum operational speed limit of 160 km/h, and carry about 60% of the rail traffic. The trunk routes includeChennai–Howrah,Chennai–Mumbai,Delhi–Chennai,Delhi–Howrah,Howrah–Mumbai,Mumbai–Delhi and Delhi–Guwahati.[118][119]
The first electric train ran in Bombay in 1925 onDC traction.[19] In 1928, DC traction was introduced on the suburban of Bombay by theBombay, Baroda and Central India Railway betweenColaba andBorivili and between Madras beach and Tambaram by theMadras and Southern Mahratta Railway in 1931.[120] In 1957, Indian Railways decided to adopt 25 kV AC as its standard.[19] The first 25 kV AC EMUs operated in Calcutta in 1962 and Madras in 1968. In 2017, Indian Railways announced a plan to electrify the country's entire broad gauge rail network by 2023.[121] Post electrification, 30 billion kWh of electricity will be required on an annual basis for Indian Railways.[121] As of 1 February 2025[update], Indian Railways has electrified 64,589 km (40,134 mi) or 97.05% of the total broad-gauge route length.[4] Indian Railway uses 25 kV AC traction on all its electrified tracks.[3]
India shares land border with multiple countries and have rail-links with some of them.Bangladesh is connected toWest Bengal with a construction of new rail link connectingTripura withAkhaura.[122][123] Two rail links toNepal exist as of 2021, with a third under construction.[124] There is an existing railink withPakistan throughAttari–Wagah border.[125]
Indian Railways uses a range of signalling technologies and methods to manage its train operations based on traffic density and safety requirements. As of 28 February 2025[update],automatic block signalling is used on a total route length of 5,221 km (3,244 mi) for train operations – concentrated in high density routes, large cities and junctions.[3][126] Remaining routes are based onabsolute block signalling with trains manually controlled by signal men from the signal boxes typically located at stations. Few low density routes still usemanual block signalling methods with communication on track clearance based on physical exchange of tokens.[127] In a few sections, intermediate block signalling is provided to further enhance line capacity with minimal investment. As of 31 March 2024[update], 756 block sections have intermediate block signals.[3] Indian Railways primarily usescoloured signal lights, which replaced the earliersemaphores and disc-based signalling. It uses two-aspect, three-aspect and four (or multiple) aspect color signalling across its network.[128][129]
Signals at most stations are interlocked usingpanel interlocking,route-relay interlocking orelectronic interlocking methods that eliminate scope for human signalling errors. Indian Railways usestrack circuiting, and block provingaxle counters for train detection. As of 31 March 2024[update], 6,637 stations have interlocked and multi-aspect signalling. Around 99% of key routes have track circuitry or block proving axle counters for automated train detection andKavachautomatic train protection system has been implemented in 1,465 km (910 mi) of tracks.[3] The railways has about 66,179 km (41,122 mi) ofoptical fiber cable network used for train control, voice and data communication with 7,538 km (4,684 mi) of the route covered byGSM-R based Mobile Train Radio communication.[3] In December 2017, Indian Railways announced that it will implementETCS Level 2 system for signalling and control on key routes with an investment of₹120 billion (US$1.4 billion).[130]
As of 31 March 2024[update], Indian Railways manages and operates 7,461 stations.[3] Prior to 2017, the stations were classified into seven categories based on their earnings.[131] Since 2017, Indian Railways categorizes the stations by commercial importance into three different categories namely Non Suburban Group (NSG), Suburban Group (SG) and Halt Group (HG). These are further subdivided into subcategories based on their commercial importance (NSG 1–6, SG 1-3 and from HG 1–3).[132][131] The commercial importance of a station is determined by taking into account its passenger footfall, earnings and strategic importance and these categories are used to determine the minimum essential amenities required by each station.[133][132]
Indian Railways offers various travel classes on itscoaches.[134] For the purpose of identification inpassenger trains, coaches in a train-set are assigned analpha-numeric code. The first letter identifies the coach class and the second letter identifies the coach number.[135] The berths and seats are numbered by an alphanumeric code with the letter(s) identifying the berth/seat type and numbers identifying the position.[136]
| Class | Code[135] | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| First AC | H |  | It is the most luxurious and expensive class in most express trains.[137][102] They have separateair-conditioned compartments with private lockable doors,bedding, dedicated attendants and meals served at seat.[138] |
| First Class | F | First class is similar to first AC coaches with a combination of cabins and berths but are non air-conditioned and do not have all the facilities of first AC coaches.[138] They were slated to be phased out of normal express trains starting in the 2000s and the last coach being de-commissioned in 2015.[139][140] The First class is still in use intoy trains where the coaches consist of seats similar to chair cars.[141] | |
| Executive Anubhuti | EA/K |  | Executive Anubhuti is the premium class of air-conditionedchair car equipped with retractable, large cushioned seats in 2x2 configuration. The class is equipped with an entertainment system, large luggage compartments, passenger information system, dedicated reading lights, power sockets and call buttons, modular bio toilets with automated taps. Meals often provided as a part of the journey ticket.[142] The class is available only in select trains.[142][143] |
| AC Executive Class | E |  | AC Executive Class is often the top most class of air-conditioned chair car in express trains. It is equipped with large retractable seats in 2x2 configuration.[137][144] The class is equipped with dedicated reading lights and power sockets, modular bio toilets with automated taps. Meals are often provided as a part of the journey ticket.[138] InVande Bharat Express trains, the class is equipped with more features includingrotating seats,CCTVs, passenger information system, larger toilets,USB ports andautomated doors.[145][146] |
| Executive Vistadome | EV |  | AC Tourist cars havevistadome coaches with glass roofs and extra wide windows. The interiors are similar to AC chair car coaches. Select trains operating mostly on tourist circuits are equipped with such coaches.[147] Indian Railways plans to introduce these coaches in allmountain railways.[148] |
| Second AC or AC 2-tier | A |  | Second AC or AC 2-tier is an air-conditionedsleeping car with wide sealed windows.[137] There are four berths arranged in two-tiers facing each other in a single bay with two-tiered berths arranged on the sides lengthwise across the corridor.[102] Individual berths are equipped withcurtains, simple bedding, reading lights and charging sockets.[149][150] Food is available on order or as a part of the ticket depending on the train.[138] |
| Third AC or AC 3-tier | B |  | Third AC or AC 3-tier is an air-conditioned sleeping car.[137] There are six berths arranged in three-tiers facing each other in a single bay with foldable middle berths and two-tiered berths arranged on the sides lengthwise across the corridor.[102] There are common charging sockets and lights in each compartment with simple bedding provided.[150] Food is available on order or as a part of the ticket depending on the train with the same menu shared with AC 2-tier.[138] |
| AC 3-tier economy | G/M | AC 3-tier economy coaches are air-conditioned sleeping cars similar to AC 3-tier.[137] Compared to 3-tier coaches, they have an extra middle berth along the aisle.[138] The coaches were first introduced inGarib Rath trains and only a few trains operate with such coaches.[151] Bedding is available for rent and the coaches have facilities like charging sockets and lights similar to AC 3-tier coaches.[151] New AC 3-tier economy coaches introduced in 2021 have similar berth arrangement as AC 3-tier but accommodates 83 berths per coach and other improved facilities.[152][153] | |
| AC Chair Car | C |  | AC chair car are air-conditioned coaches equipped with retractable seats in 3x2 configuration.[137] The class has cushioned seats withtray tables and are equipped with LED reading lights, power sockets along the window side. Meals are provided as a part of the journey ticket in select trains.[138] In Vande Bharat Express trains, the class is equipped with more features including passenger information system, CCTVs, larger toilets and automated doors.[154][155] |
| Sleeper | S |  | Sleeper class is the most common sleeping car coach in Indian Railways.[137] There are six berths arranged in three-tiers facing each other in a single bay with foldable middle berths and two-tiered berths arranged on the sides lengthwise across the corridor.[102] The coaches are not air-conditioned and have open-able windows. There are common charging sockets,ceiling mounted fans and lights in each compartment. Food is available on order or can be purchased from vendors.[138] |
| Second sitting | D/J |  | Second sitting is the most common chair car coach and the cheapest in the Indian Railways.[137] It is common in most day-time running trains with six seats arranged in 3x3 configuration. The seats may face each other or towards the same side.[102] The coaches are not air-conditioned and have open-able windows. There are common charging sockets, ceiling mounted fans and lights in each compartment. Food is available on order or can be purchased from vendors.[138] |
| Unreserved or General | UR/GS | .jpg) | Unreserved or general coaches are second seating coaches which are not available for reservation and seats are taken on available basis.[137] One or more of these coaches are attached to express trains while dedicated passenger trains might also have all unreserved coaches. Tickets are valid on any train on a route only for within 24 hours of purchase.[156] |
Saloon coaches available forchartering are equipped with a bedroom and kitchen and can be attached to normal trains.[157]
Indian Railways operates various classes of passenger and express trains. The trains are classified basis average speed and facilities with express trains having fewer halts, priority on rail network and faster average speed. The trains are identified byfive digit numbers with train-pairs traveling in opposite directions usually labelled with consecutive numbers.[158] Express trains often have specific unique names for easy identification.[159] In 2018–19, Indian Railways operated 13,523 passenger trains on average daily and carried 8.44 billion passengers.[160] India Railways operates various categories of express trains includingRajdhani Express,Shatabdi Express,Garib Rath Express,Double Decker Express,Tejas Express,Gatimaan Express,Humsafar Express,Duronto Express,Yuva Express,Uday Express,Jan Shatabdi Express,Sampark Kranti Express,Vivek Express,Rajya Rani Express,Mahamana Express,Antyodaya Express,Jan Sadharan Express,Suvidha Express andIntercity Express.[159]
Rajdhani Express introduced in 1969 were the first trains to reach speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph).[32]Shatabdi Express introduced in 1988, are capable of running at a maximum speed of 150 km/h (93 mph).[161][162] In 2019,Vande Bharat Express was launched with self-propelled EMU train-sets capable of reaching maximum speed of 180 km/h (110 mph) with operational speeds restricted to 130–160 km/h (81–99 mph).[163][164] A non-airconditioned semi-high speedtrain-set hauled by two modifiedWAP-5 locomotives was launched asAmrit Bharat Express.[165] Ahigh-speed rail line isunder-construction betweenMumbai and Ahmedabad which will become the first truehigh-speed rail line when completed in 2026.[166]
Mountain Railways of India refer to three rail lines operated by Indian Railways inhilly terrain.Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a610 mm (2 ft) narrow-gauge railway in theLesser Himalayas ofWest Bengal was opened in 1881.[167] The mountain railways were designated asWorld Heritage Sites in 1999.[167] TheKalka-Shimla Railway, a762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow-gauge railway in theSiwalik Hills ofHimachal Pradesh started operating in 1903. TheNilgiri Mountain Railway, a1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gaugerack railway in theNilgiri Hills ofTamil Nadu was opened in 1908 and is the only operational rack railway in India.[168][167] These railways operate with its own dedicated fleet of locomotives and coaches.[169]
The first suburban electric trains were introduced inBombay in 1925.[95][170]Chennai suburban lines started operating in 1931 andKolkata in 1957.[171][172] Later, AC traction was adopted for suburban lines and are currently operated by Multiple Units (MUs) of various configurations. In 1984,Kolkata Metro, the firstmetro system and the only system operated by Indian Railways was commissioned.[173] Opened in November 1995,Chennai MRTS became the first operational elevated railway line in India.[21] Indian Railways operates suburban railway systems across the cities of Mumbai (suburban), Chennai (suburban and MRTS), Kolkata (suburban and metro) andSecunderabad (MMTS) covering six railway zones.[95]
Indian Railways offers tour packages through IRCTC.[174] It operates tourist trains and coach services on popular tourist circuits in different regions of the country. It operates luxury tourist trains such asMaharajas' Express,Palace on Wheels,Golden Chariot andDeccan Odyssey, deluxe tourist trains such asMahaparinirvan Express.[3][175] It also operatesheritage and exhibition trains on special circumstances.[176]
In 1986, computerized ticketing and reservations were introduced before which ticketing was done manually.[36] Self-printing ticket machines (SPTM) were introduced in 1988.[37] Centralized computer reservation system was deployed in September 1996.[6] The ticketing network at stations is computerized with the exception of few stations. The Indian Railways website went online in February 2000 and online ticketing was introduced on 3 August 2002 through IRCTC.[38] Indian Railways now provides multiple channels for passengers to book tickets throughwebsite,smartphone apps,SMS, rail reservation counters at train stations, or through private ticket booking counters. Reserved tickets may be booked up to 60 days in advance and confirmed reservation tickets will show the passenger and fare details along with berth or seat number(s) allocated to them on the ticket.
In case of no confirmed reservation, a wait-list number is assigned and wait-listed tickets get confirmed if there are cancellations of already reserved tickets.Reservation against cancellation tickets is an intermediate category between the waiting and confirmed lists in sleeper classes which allows a ticket holder to board the train and share a berth.[177] Reserved tickets can be booked by passengers who want to travel at short notice at higher fares through theTatkal train ticket, where no refund is applicable on cancellation.[178] A valid proof for the purchase of ticket along with photo identification is required to board the train.[179] Unreserved tickets for short distance or unplanned travels may be purchased at stations or through UTS mobile app at any time before departure.[180] Holders of such tickets may only board the general or unreserved coaches. Suburban networks also issue unreserved tickets valid for a limited time or season passes with unlimited travel between two stops for a period of time.[181][182]
India has some of the lowest train fares in the world, and lower class passenger fares are subsidised.[183][184] Discounted fares are applicable for railway employees,senior citizens (over age 60), the differently-abled, students, athletes, patients and those taking competitive examinations. Seats of lower class of accommodation are reserved for women or senior citizens in some trains.[185]
The first rail operational in Madras in 1837 was used for ferrying granite.[7] The first dedicated commercial freight rail was operated between Bombay and Ahmedabad in 1966.[6] Indian Railways ferries various commodities andcargo to cater to various industrial, consumer, and agricultural segments. Apart from dedicated freight trains,parcels,mail and small cargo are carried on specialized carriages attached to passenger trains.[110] In 2023–24, Indian Railways operated 11,724 freight trains on average daily and transported 1588.06 million tonnes of freight.[3]
Indian Railways has historically subsidized the passenger segment with income from the freight business and prioritized passenger trains on the network. Hence, freight services were unable to complete other modes of transport on both cost and speed of delivery, leading to continuous erosion of market share till the early 2000s.[186] To counter this, Indian Railways established theDedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India in 2006 to construct dedicated freight corridors to reduce congestion, increase speed and reliability and proposed upgradation 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.[187] End-to-end integrated transport solutions such asroll-on, roll-off (RORO) service, aroad-rail system pioneered byKonkan Railway in 1999 to carry trucks onflatbed trailers is extended to other routes.[188]
As per the Ministry of Railways, there have been more than 38,500 railway accidents from 1961 to 2019.[189] In 2019-20, the Indian Railways reported zero passenger deaths due to accidents for the first time in its history.[190] At least 313 people died in 40 train accidents in 2023-24 and 748 people have died in 638 train accidents in the previous ten years.[191]
| Span | Accidents | Train kms (million) | Accidents per million kms | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collisions | Derailments | Level crossing | Fire | Others | Total | |||
| 1961–1970 | 834 | 10,664 | 1,394 | 1,037 | 0 | 13,929 | 4,339 | 3.21 |
| 1971–1980 | 588 | 6,763 | 1,120 | 185 | 0 | 8,665 | 4,810 | 1.80 |
| 1981–1990 | 475 | 6,242 | 677 | 176 | 0 | 7,570 | 5,598 | 1.35 |
| 1991–2000 | 340 | 3,583 | 632 | 77 | 0 | 4,642 | 6,559 | 0.70 |
| 2001–2010 | 135 | 1,680 | 803 | 93 | 52 | 2,763 | 8,333 | 0.33 |
| 2011–2019 | 43 | 567 | 352 | 54 | 16 | 1,023 | 10,134 | 0.10 |
India's railways...offers some of the world's cheapest fares...
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