Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise organised as a departmental undertaking

of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national
railway system.[b] As of 2024, it manages the fourth largest 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)
is 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge. As of August 2024, 96.59% of the broad-gauge
network is electrified. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is the world's ninth-
largest employer and India'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 first steam locomotive hauled railway operated in 1837 in Madras for ferrying cargo.
The first passenger railway was operated in 1853 between Bombay and Thane. In
1925, the first electric train ran in Bombay on DC traction. The first locomotive
manufacturing unit was commissioned in 1950 at Chittaranjan with the first coach
manufacturing unit set-up at Madras in 1955.

Indian Railways runs various classes of express, passenger, suburban, and freight
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 of freight.[3] Indian Railways
operates multiple classes of rolling stock, manufactured by self-owned coach-
production facilities. As of 31 March 2024, Indian Railways' rolling stock consisted of
327,991 freight wagons, 91,948 passenger coaches (including multiple unit coaches)
and 10,675 electric, 4,397 diesel and 38 steam locomotives.[3]

History
Main article: Rail transport in India § History
1832–1899
In 1832 the proposal to construct the first railway line in India at Madras was made.[5][6] 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.[7]
 The railway bridge near Thane in 1855

Railway map of India in 1865

The Madras Railway was established in 1845 and the Great Indian Peninsular
Railway was incorporated in 1849.[6] Temporary railway lines were built such as the
railway line at Dowleswaram built 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.[6] In 1852, a steam locomotive imported from England was tried
at Byculla.[8] In 1853, the first passenger train on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge ran
for 34 kilometres (21 mi) between Bombay and Thane 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 first railway bridges, were built over the Thane creek when the
Mumbai-Thane line was extended to Kalyan in May 1854. Eastern India's first
passenger train ran 39 km (24 mi) from Howrah, near Kolkata, to Hoogly on 15 August
1854.[6] The construction of the first main line in South India between Royapuram in
Madras and Arcot started in 1853, which became operational on 1 July 1856. [13] On 24
February 1873, a horse-drawn 3.8 km (2.4 mi) tram opened
in Calcutta between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat street.[14] In 1875, a railway line was
opened between Mokama and Darbhanga by the local ruler Lakshmeshwar
Singh through Tirhut Railway.[15] On 9 May 1874, a horse-drawn tramway began
operation in Bombay between Colaba and Parel.[16] In 1879, the Nizam's Guaranteed
State Railway was established which built railway lines across the then Hyderabad
State from Kachiguda.[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]

1900–1999
Railway map of India in 1914
The first railway budget was presented in 1924.[6] On 3 February 1925, the first electric
train ran between Bombay and Kurla, hauled by a SLM electric
locomotive on DC traction.[19] In 1925, the first Electric Multiple Units (EMU) were
introduced in Bombay with 1500 V DC units imported from Cammell
Laird and Uerdingenwagonfabrik.[20] Chennai suburban railway started operating in 1931
with a single metre-gauge line from Chennai Beach to Tambaram.[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 six regional zones with the Southern (14 April 1951), Central (5 November
1951), and Western (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 first diesel
locomotive used in India was fabricated by North British Locomotive Company in
1954.[27]

A typical red-colored ICF coach used by the Indian

Railways till the late 1990s
The first locomotive manufacturing unit at Chittaranjan was commissioned in
1950.[28] The first rail coaches were manufactured in India from 1956 when the Integral
Coach Factory was established at Madras.[29] In 1956, the first air-conditioned train plied
between Howrah and New Delhi.[30] In 1957, Indian Railways adopted 25 kV AC traction
with the first runs beginning in December 1959 with the WAM-1 locomotives.[20] The
first containerized freight rail transport began between Bombay and Ahmedabad in
1966.[6] In 1969, the Government of India announced the introduction of a new express
train capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) in the railway 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-day strike.[33][34] The first metro rail was
introduced in Calcutta on 24 October 1984.[35]

In 1986, computerized ticketing and reservations were introduced. [36] In 1988, the
first Shatabdi Express was introduced between New Delhi and Jhansi.[6] Two years later,
the first self-printing ticket machine (SPTM) was introduced in Delhi.[37] In 1993, air-
conditioned three-tier and sleeper 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 at Mumbai CSMT in 1998 and the
nationwide concierge system began operation on 18 April 1999.[6]

2000–present
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 first Compressed Natural
Gas (CNG) powered trains were rolled out. [39] Since 1925, the Railway budget was
presented before the Union budget till 2016. The central government approved
the merger 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 a nationwide shutdown of
passenger service to combat the COVID-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]

Introduced in 2019, Vande Bharat Express operating on

a train-set built by ICF, is the fastest train in India
Starting in the 2010s, various infrastructure modernization projects have been
undertaken including high-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-propelled train-set capable of reaching speeds of over
160 km/h (99 mph) was rolled out from ICF and the Vande Bharat Express was
launched in 2019.[55][56] Indian Railways announced plans to become a net-zero carbon
emission railway by 2030 and has implemented rainwater harvesting at
stations,[57] reforestation along the tracks,[58] introduction of solar-powered
trains,[59] installation of solar and wind power generation
facilities,[60] and sustainable LED 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 automated fire alarm
system to all air-conditioned coaches and GPS-enabled Fog Pilot Assistance
System railway signalling devices.[63] 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.[64][65]

Organisation
Main article: Indian Railways organisational structure
Structure
Main article: Zones and divisions of Indian Railways
Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental
undertaking of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India.[b][68][69] It is governed
by a Railway Board, which acts on behalf of the Ministry of Railways.[69][70] The five
member Railway board is headed by a chairman cum chief executive officer, and
consists of members responsible for infrastructure, traction & rolling
stock, operations & business development, and finance.[71] Additionally, officers on
special duty include those overseeing human resources, Railway Protection
Force, health and safety.[72][73]

Indian Railways is divided into 18 administrative zones (17 operational), headed by

general managers which are further subdivided into 68 operating divisions, 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 of manufacturing
units, training establishments, PSUs and other undertakings under the purview of the
Indian Railways.[72]

Indian Railway Zones Indian Railway Zones

No. Zone Code HQ Estd. No. Zone Code HQ Estd. No. Z

1 Southern SR Chennai 1951 South Ea

7 SER Kolkata 1955 13
Eastern Co

2 Central CR Mumbai CSMT 1951

Northeast No
8 NFR Guwahati 1958 14
Frontier Ce
3 Western WR Mumbai (Churchgate) 1951

9 SCR Secunderabad 1966 15

South So
 Central W
4 Eastern ER Kolkata 1952

10 East Central ECR Hajipur 2002 W

16
5 Northern NR Delhi 1952 Ce

South East
11 SECR Bilaspur 2003
North Central So
6 NER Gorakhpur 1952 17
Eastern Co

North
12 NWR Jaipur 2002
Western Ko
18
Ra

Human resources
See also: Indian Railways Management Service and Railway Recruitment Control
Board
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, 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 through Indian 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
the Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB) and Group D staffs are recruited by
zonal Railway Recruitment Cells (RRC).[76] Indian Railways operates seven centralized
training institutes and 295 training centers. It also
provides housing, healthcare and education 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]

Subsidiaries
Indian Railways has various public sector undertakings (PSUs) and other organisations
under its purview:[3]

Name Sector Established Notes

Joint
Bhartiya Rail Bijlee
Power 2007 Venture with NTPC;
Company Limited (BRBCL)
26% ownership
 Name Sector Established Notes

Transferred
Braithwaite & Co. Heavy industry 1913 from Ministry of Heavy
Industries in 2010

Centre for Railway

Information Information technology 1986
Systems (CRIS)

Container Corporation of
Intermodal freight transport 1988
India (CONCOR)

Dedicated Freight Corridor

Rail freight infrastructure
Corporation of 2006
development
India (DFCCIL)

Indian Railway Catering

and Tourism Catering, Ticketing and Tourism 1999 67% ownership
Corporation (IRCTC)

Indian Railway Finance

Financial services 1986
Corporation (IRFC)

Ircon International Rail infrastructure development 1976

Kolkata Metro Rail

Public Transport 2008 74% ownership
Corporation (KMRCL)

Konkan Railway Rail infrastructure construction To be merged with

1990
Corporation (KRCL) and operation Indian Railways[79]

Mumbai Railway Vikas Suburban rail operation &

1999 51% ownership
Corporation (MRVC) development

National High Speed Rail High-speed rail construction &

2016
Corporation (NHSRC) operation

Joint venture with

Pipavav Railway
Operation of Pipavav port line 2000 Pipavav Port; 50%
Corporation
ownership

Rail India Technical and

Consulting 1974
Economic Service (RITES)

Rail Vikas Nigam (RVN) Rail Infrastructure development 2003

 Name Sector Established Notes

RailTel Telecommunications 2000

Indian Railways also has multiple bodies and undertakings under its purview such as: [3]

 Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC)

 Central Railside Warehouse Company Limited (CRWCL)
 Commission of Railway Safety (CRS)
 Central Organisation for Modernisation of Workshops (COMW)
 Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE)
 Indian Railway Health Service (IRHS)
 Passenger Amenities Committee
 Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA)
 Railway Protection Force (RPF)
 Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB)
 Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB)
 Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO)
Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise organised as a departmental undertaking
of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national
railway system.[b] As of 2024, it manages the fourth largest 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)
is 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge. As of August 2024, 96.59% of the broad-gauge
network is electrified. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is the world's ninth-
largest employer and India'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 first steam locomotive hauled railway operated in 1837 in Madras for ferrying cargo.
The first passenger railway was operated in 1853 between Bombay and Thane. In
1925, the first electric train ran in Bombay on DC traction. The first locomotive
manufacturing unit was commissioned in 1950 at Chittaranjan with the first coach
manufacturing unit set-up at Madras in 1955.

Indian Railways runs various classes of express, passenger, suburban, and freight
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 of freight.[3] Indian Railways
operates multiple classes of rolling stock, manufactured by self-owned coach-
production facilities. As of 31 March 2024, Indian Railways' rolling stock consisted of
327,991 freight wagons, 91,948 passenger coaches (including multiple unit coaches)
and 10,675 electric, 4,397 diesel and 38 steam locomotives.[3]

History
Main article: Rail transport in India § History
1832–1899
In 1832 the proposal to construct the first railway line in India at Madras was made.[5][6] 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.[7]
 The railway bridge near Thane in 1855

Railway map of India in 1865

The Madras Railway was established in 1845 and the Great Indian Peninsular
Railway was incorporated in 1849.[6] Temporary railway lines were built such as the
railway line at Dowleswaram built 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.[6] In 1852, a steam locomotive imported from England was tried
at Byculla.[8] In 1853, the first passenger train on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge ran
for 34 kilometres (21 mi) between Bombay and Thane 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 first railway bridges, were built over the Thane creek when the
Mumbai-Thane line was extended to Kalyan in May 1854. Eastern India's first
passenger train ran 39 km (24 mi) from Howrah, near Kolkata, to Hoogly on 15 August
1854.[6] The construction of the first main line in South India between Royapuram in
Madras and Arcot started in 1853, which became operational on 1 July 1856. [13] On 24
February 1873, a horse-drawn 3.8 km (2.4 mi) tram opened
in Calcutta between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat street.[14] In 1875, a railway line was
opened between Mokama and Darbhanga by the local ruler Lakshmeshwar
Singh through Tirhut Railway.[15] On 9 May 1874, a horse-drawn tramway began
operation in Bombay between Colaba and Parel.[16] In 1879, the Nizam's Guaranteed
State Railway was established which built railway lines across the then Hyderabad
State from Kachiguda.[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]

1900–1999
Railway map of India in 1914
The first railway budget was presented in 1924.[6] On 3 February 1925, the first electric
train ran between Bombay and Kurla, hauled by a SLM electric
locomotive on DC traction.[19] In 1925, the first Electric Multiple Units (EMU) were
introduced in Bombay with 1500 V DC units imported from Cammell
Laird and Uerdingenwagonfabrik.[20] Chennai suburban railway started operating in 1931
with a single metre-gauge line from Chennai Beach to Tambaram.[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 six regional zones with the Southern (14 April 1951), Central (5 November
1951), and Western (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 first diesel
locomotive used in India was fabricated by North British Locomotive Company in
1954.[27]

A typical red-colored ICF coach used by the Indian

Railways till the late 1990s
The first locomotive manufacturing unit at Chittaranjan was commissioned in
1950.[28] The first rail coaches were manufactured in India from 1956 when the Integral
Coach Factory was established at Madras.[29] In 1956, the first air-conditioned train plied
between Howrah and New Delhi.[30] In 1957, Indian Railways adopted 25 kV AC traction
with the first runs beginning in December 1959 with the WAM-1 locomotives.[20] The
first containerized freight rail transport began between Bombay and Ahmedabad in
1966.[6] In 1969, the Government of India announced the introduction of a new express
train capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) in the railway 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-day strike.[33][34] The first metro rail was
introduced in Calcutta on 24 October 1984.[35]

In 1986, computerized ticketing and reservations were introduced. [36] In 1988, the
first Shatabdi Express was introduced between New Delhi and Jhansi.[6] Two years later,
the first self-printing ticket machine (SPTM) was introduced in Delhi.[37] In 1993, air-
conditioned three-tier and sleeper 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 at Mumbai CSMT in 1998 and the
nationwide concierge system began operation on 18 April 1999.[6]

2000–present
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 first Compressed Natural
Gas (CNG) powered trains were rolled out. [39] Since 1925, the Railway budget was
presented before the Union budget till 2016. The central government approved
the merger 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 a nationwide shutdown of
passenger service to combat the COVID-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]

Introduced in 2019, Vande Bharat Express operating on

a train-set built by ICF, is the fastest train in India
Starting in the 2010s, various infrastructure modernization projects have been
undertaken including high-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-propelled train-set capable of reaching speeds of over
160 km/h (99 mph) was rolled out from ICF and the Vande Bharat Express was
launched in 2019.[55][56] Indian Railways announced plans to become a net-zero carbon
emission railway by 2030 and has implemented rainwater harvesting at
stations,[57] reforestation along the tracks,[58] introduction of solar-powered
trains,[59] installation of solar and wind power generation
facilities,[60] and sustainable LED 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 automated fire alarm
system to all air-conditioned coaches and GPS-enabled Fog Pilot Assistance
System railway signalling devices.[63] 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.[64][65]

Organisation
Main article: Indian Railways organisational structure
Structure
Main article: Zones and divisions of Indian Railways
Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental
undertaking of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India.[b][68][69] It is governed
by a Railway Board, which acts on behalf of the Ministry of Railways.[69][70] The five
member Railway board is headed by a chairman cum chief executive officer, and
consists of members responsible for infrastructure, traction & rolling
stock, operations & business development, and finance.[71] Additionally, officers on
special duty include those overseeing human resources, Railway Protection
Force, health and safety.[72][73]

Indian Railways is divided into 18 administrative zones (17 operational), headed by

general managers which are further subdivided into 68 operating divisions, 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 of manufacturing
units, training establishments, PSUs and other undertakings under the purview of the
Indian Railways.[72]

Indian Railway Zones Indian Railway Zones

No. Zone Code HQ Estd. No. Zone Code HQ Estd. No. Z

1 Southern SR Chennai 1951 South Ea

7 SER Kolkata 1955 13
Eastern Co

2 Central CR Mumbai CSMT 1951

Northeast No
8 NFR Guwahati 1958 14
Frontier Ce
3 Western WR Mumbai (Churchgate) 1951

9 SCR Secunderabad 1966 15

South So
 Central W
4 Eastern ER Kolkata 1952

10 East Central ECR Hajipur 2002 W

16
5 Northern NR Delhi 1952 Ce

South East
11 SECR Bilaspur 2003
North Central So
6 NER Gorakhpur 1952 17
Eastern Co

North
12 NWR Jaipur 2002
Western Ko
18
Ra

Human resources
See also: Indian Railways Management Service and Railway Recruitment Control
Board
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, 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 through Indian 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
the Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB) and Group D staffs are recruited by
zonal Railway Recruitment Cells (RRC).[76] Indian Railways operates seven centralized
training institutes and 295 training centers. It also
provides housing, healthcare and education 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]

Subsidiaries
Indian Railways has various public sector undertakings (PSUs) and other organisations
under its purview:[3]

Name Sector Established Notes

Joint
Bhartiya Rail Bijlee
Power 2007 Venture with NTPC;
Company Limited (BRBCL)
26% ownership
 Name Sector Established Notes

Transferred
Braithwaite & Co. Heavy industry 1913 from Ministry of Heavy
Industries in 2010

Centre for Railway

Information Information technology 1986
Systems (CRIS)

Container Corporation of
Intermodal freight transport 1988
India (CONCOR)

Dedicated Freight Corridor

Rail freight infrastructure
Corporation of 2006
development
India (DFCCIL)

Indian Railway Catering

and Tourism Catering, Ticketing and Tourism 1999 67% ownership
Corporation (IRCTC)

Indian Railway Finance

Financial services 1986
Corporation (IRFC)

Ircon International Rail infrastructure development 1976

Kolkata Metro Rail

Public Transport 2008 74% ownership
Corporation (KMRCL)

Konkan Railway Rail infrastructure construction To be merged with

1990
Corporation (KRCL) and operation Indian Railways[79]

Mumbai Railway Vikas Suburban rail operation &

1999 51% ownership
Corporation (MRVC) development

National High Speed Rail High-speed rail construction &

2016
Corporation (NHSRC) operation

Joint venture with

Pipavav Railway
Operation of Pipavav port line 2000 Pipavav Port; 50%
Corporation
ownership

Rail India Technical and

Consulting 1974
Economic Service (RITES)

Rail Vikas Nigam (RVN) Rail Infrastructure development 2003

 Name Sector Established Notes

RailTel Telecommunications 2000

Indian Railways also has multiple bodies and undertakings under its purview such as: [3]

 Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC)

 Central Railside Warehouse Company Limited (CRWCL)
 Commission of Railway Safety (CRS)
 Central Organisation for Modernisation of Workshops (COMW)
 Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE)
 Indian Railway Health Service (IRHS)
 Passenger Amenities Committee
 Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA)
 Railway Protection Force (RPF)
 Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB)
 Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB)
 Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO)
Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise organised as a departmental undertaking
of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national
railway system.[b] As of 2024, it manages the fourth largest 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)
is 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge. As of August 2024, 96.59% of the broad-gauge
network is electrified. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is the world's ninth-
largest employer and India'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 first steam locomotive hauled railway operated in 1837 in Madras for ferrying cargo.
The first passenger railway was operated in 1853 between Bombay and Thane. In
1925, the first electric train ran in Bombay on DC traction. The first locomotive
manufacturing unit was commissioned in 1950 at Chittaranjan with the first coach
manufacturing unit set-up at Madras in 1955.

Indian Railways runs various classes of express, passenger, suburban, and freight
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 of freight.[3] Indian Railways
operates multiple classes of rolling stock, manufactured by self-owned coach-
production facilities. As of 31 March 2024, Indian Railways' rolling stock consisted of
327,991 freight wagons, 91,948 passenger coaches (including multiple unit coaches)
and 10,675 electric, 4,397 diesel and 38 steam locomotives.[3]

History
Main article: Rail transport in India § History
1832–1899
In 1832 the proposal to construct the first railway line in India at Madras was made.[5][6] 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.[7]
 The railway bridge near Thane in 1855

Railway map of India in 1865

The Madras Railway was established in 1845 and the Great Indian Peninsular
Railway was incorporated in 1849.[6] Temporary railway lines were built such as the
railway line at Dowleswaram built 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.[6] In 1852, a steam locomotive imported from England was tried
at Byculla.[8] In 1853, the first passenger train on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge ran
for 34 kilometres (21 mi) between Bombay and Thane 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 first railway bridges, were built over the Thane creek when the
Mumbai-Thane line was extended to Kalyan in May 1854. Eastern India's first
passenger train ran 39 km (24 mi) from Howrah, near Kolkata, to Hoogly on 15 August
1854.[6] The construction of the first main line in South India between Royapuram in
Madras and Arcot started in 1853, which became operational on 1 July 1856. [13] On 24
February 1873, a horse-drawn 3.8 km (2.4 mi) tram opened
in Calcutta between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat street.[14] In 1875, a railway line was
opened between Mokama and Darbhanga by the local ruler Lakshmeshwar
Singh through Tirhut Railway.[15] On 9 May 1874, a horse-drawn tramway began
operation in Bombay between Colaba and Parel.[16] In 1879, the Nizam's Guaranteed
State Railway was established which built railway lines across the then Hyderabad
State from Kachiguda.[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]

1900–1999
Railway map of India in 1914
The first railway budget was presented in 1924.[6] On 3 February 1925, the first electric
train ran between Bombay and Kurla, hauled by a SLM electric
locomotive on DC traction.[19] In 1925, the first Electric Multiple Units (EMU) were
introduced in Bombay with 1500 V DC units imported from Cammell
Laird and Uerdingenwagonfabrik.[20] Chennai suburban railway started operating in 1931
with a single metre-gauge line from Chennai Beach to Tambaram.[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 six regional zones with the Southern (14 April 1951), Central (5 November
1951), and Western (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 first diesel
locomotive used in India was fabricated by North British Locomotive Company in
1954.[27]

A typical red-colored ICF coach used by the Indian

Railways till the late 1990s
The first locomotive manufacturing unit at Chittaranjan was commissioned in
1950.[28] The first rail coaches were manufactured in India from 1956 when the Integral
Coach Factory was established at Madras.[29] In 1956, the first air-conditioned train plied
between Howrah and New Delhi.[30] In 1957, Indian Railways adopted 25 kV AC traction
with the first runs beginning in December 1959 with the WAM-1 locomotives.[20] The
first containerized freight rail transport began between Bombay and Ahmedabad in
1966.[6] In 1969, the Government of India announced the introduction of a new express
train capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) in the railway 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-day strike.[33][34] The first metro rail was
introduced in Calcutta on 24 October 1984.[35]

In 1986, computerized ticketing and reservations were introduced. [36] In 1988, the
first Shatabdi Express was introduced between New Delhi and Jhansi.[6] Two years later,
the first self-printing ticket machine (SPTM) was introduced in Delhi.[37] In 1993, air-
conditioned three-tier and sleeper 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 at Mumbai CSMT in 1998 and the
nationwide concierge system began operation on 18 April 1999.[6]

2000–present
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 first Compressed Natural
Gas (CNG) powered trains were rolled out. [39] Since 1925, the Railway budget was
presented before the Union budget till 2016. The central government approved
the merger 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 a nationwide shutdown of
passenger service to combat the COVID-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]

Introduced in 2019, Vande Bharat Express operating on

a train-set built by ICF, is the fastest train in India
Starting in the 2010s, various infrastructure modernization projects have been
undertaken including high-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-propelled train-set capable of reaching speeds of over
160 km/h (99 mph) was rolled out from ICF and the Vande Bharat Express was
launched in 2019.[55][56] Indian Railways announced plans to become a net-zero carbon
emission railway by 2030 and has implemented rainwater harvesting at
stations,[57] reforestation along the tracks,[58] introduction of solar-powered
trains,[59] installation of solar and wind power generation
facilities,[60] and sustainable LED 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 automated fire alarm
system to all air-conditioned coaches and GPS-enabled Fog Pilot Assistance
System railway signalling devices.[63] 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.[64][65]

Organisation
Main article: Indian Railways organisational structure
Structure
Main article: Zones and divisions of Indian Railways
Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental
undertaking of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India.[b][68][69] It is governed
by a Railway Board, which acts on behalf of the Ministry of Railways.[69][70] The five
member Railway board is headed by a chairman cum chief executive officer, and
consists of members responsible for infrastructure, traction & rolling
stock, operations & business development, and finance.[71] Additionally, officers on
special duty include those overseeing human resources, Railway Protection
Force, health and safety.[72][73]

Indian Railways is divided into 18 administrative zones (17 operational), headed by

general managers which are further subdivided into 68 operating divisions, 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 of manufacturing
units, training establishments, PSUs and other undertakings under the purview of the
Indian Railways.[72]

Indian Railway Zones Indian Railway Zones

No. Zone Code HQ Estd. No. Zone Code HQ Estd. No. Z

1 Southern SR Chennai 1951 South Ea

7 SER Kolkata 1955 13
Eastern Co

2 Central CR Mumbai CSMT 1951

Northeast No
8 NFR Guwahati 1958 14
Frontier Ce
3 Western WR Mumbai (Churchgate) 1951

9 SCR Secunderabad 1966 15

South So
 Central W
4 Eastern ER Kolkata 1952

10 East Central ECR Hajipur 2002 W

16
5 Northern NR Delhi 1952 Ce

South East
11 SECR Bilaspur 2003
North Central So
6 NER Gorakhpur 1952 17
Eastern Co

North
12 NWR Jaipur 2002
Western Ko
18
Ra

Human resources
See also: Indian Railways Management Service and Railway Recruitment Control
Board
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, 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 through Indian 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
the Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB) and Group D staffs are recruited by
zonal Railway Recruitment Cells (RRC).[76] Indian Railways operates seven centralized
training institutes and 295 training centers. It also
provides housing, healthcare and education 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]

Subsidiaries
Indian Railways has various public sector undertakings (PSUs) and other organisations
under its purview:[3]

Name Sector Established Notes

Joint
Bhartiya Rail Bijlee
Power 2007 Venture with NTPC;
Company Limited (BRBCL)
26% ownership
 Name Sector Established Notes

Transferred
Braithwaite & Co. Heavy industry 1913 from Ministry of Heavy
Industries in 2010

Centre for Railway

Information Information technology 1986
Systems (CRIS)

Container Corporation of
Intermodal freight transport 1988
India (CONCOR)

Dedicated Freight Corridor

Rail freight infrastructure
Corporation of 2006
development
India (DFCCIL)

Indian Railway Catering

and Tourism Catering, Ticketing and Tourism 1999 67% ownership
Corporation (IRCTC)

Indian Railway Finance

Financial services 1986
Corporation (IRFC)

Ircon International Rail infrastructure development 1976

Kolkata Metro Rail

Public Transport 2008 74% ownership
Corporation (KMRCL)

Konkan Railway Rail infrastructure construction To be merged with

1990
Corporation (KRCL) and operation Indian Railways[79]

Mumbai Railway Vikas Suburban rail operation &

1999 51% ownership
Corporation (MRVC) development

National High Speed Rail High-speed rail construction &

2016
Corporation (NHSRC) operation

Joint venture with

Pipavav Railway
Operation of Pipavav port line 2000 Pipavav Port; 50%
Corporation
ownership

Rail India Technical and

Consulting 1974
Economic Service (RITES)

Rail Vikas Nigam (RVN) Rail Infrastructure development 2003

 Name Sector Established Notes

RailTel Telecommunications 2000

Indian Railways also has multiple bodies and undertakings under its purview such as: [3]

 Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC)

 Central Railside Warehouse Company Limited (CRWCL)
 Commission of Railway Safety (CRS)
 Central Organisation for Modernisation of Workshops (COMW)
 Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE)
 Indian Railway Health Service (IRHS)
 Passenger Amenities Committee
 Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA)
 Railway Protection Force (RPF)
 Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB)
 Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB)
 Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO)