Railways are the second fastest mode of transport. It is also the most dependable mode of transport. Indian Railways manages the fourth-largest railway network in the world. It is well-known for its quality service and low cost. Due to this benefit, millions of people use it to travel daily.
Now, in this article, we will take a look at the lesser-known facts and future developments about Indian Railways.
1. The ever-so ambitious Indian Railways has been planning something bigger than ever before as it is aiming to become the world’s first 100 per cent ‘green railways’!
2. If things go as per the plan, you can now reach Mumbai to Delhi and Delhi to Mumbai in just 10 hours by means of a superfast train.
Also, one can reach Delhi to Kolkata in just 12 hours. Thanks to Indian Railways for setting the target to amplify the maximum speed of these trains travelling on these routes to 160 kmph in a bid to cut down on travelling time between Delhi to Mumbai by 5 hours.
One can also save 5 and a half hours’ journey time between Delhi and Kolkata. Currently, the fastest train running between the route is Rajdhani express which can operate or run at the maximum speed of 130 kmph.
3. In 2019, the Indian railways planned to invest nearly Rs 13,500 crore in improving its infrastructure in the future.
4. Tejas Express operates between Delhi and Lucknow (to and fro). In fact, it is the first-ever train to be operated by private players in India. It started its commercial service on 6th October 2019 for 6 days a week.
Notably, in 2021, the Tejas Express was delayed by 2 hours due to which the IRCTC will have to pay around Rs 4.5 lakh to 2035 passengers.
Speaking to India Today TV, IRCTC Chief Regional Manager Ajit Kumar Sinha said, “For the first time, Rs 3,93,500 will be returned on the claim of 1,574 passengers. For Sunday’s journey, 561 passengers will get 100 rupees for a delay of more than an hour. In this way, a total of 2,035 passengers will get Rs 4,49,600 as compensation.”
5. For the unversed, the Indian Railways is the world’s eighth-largest employer with a total of 1.4 million employees.
6. The oldest working Indian locomotive that is still in operation is the Fairy Queen, which worked with a steam engine. The first Indian locomotive was built in 1855. After retiring in 1909, it was relaunched in the year 1997. Today, it operates as a tourist train between Delhi and Alwar. It travels at a speed of 40 km/h.
7. All the electric appliances such as the fans, lights in rail coaches operate at 110 volts instead of the Indian standard 220 volts. It is a smart work by the Indian Railways as it is seen as an effective counter-measure against thieves.
8. The diamond crossing (nicknamed by railways themselves), in Nagpur, is one-of-its-kind, from where Indian trains go East, West, North and South.
9. Indian Railways have 5 luxury trains namely Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, Palace on Wheels (Rajasthan), The Golden Chariot (Karnataka and Goa), The Maharajas’ Express (begins in Delhi but the itinerary differs) and The Deccan Odyssey (begins in Maharashtra but itinerary differs).
10. For the uninitiated, the Indian Railways owned the longest railway platform in the world at Kharagpur with a length of 2,733 feet. Recently, Gorakhpur station surpassed the record with a total span of 4,430 feet.
11. Indian Railways is the largest railways network to be run by a single government. It is also the world’s third-largest network with a total length of 127,760 km.
12. In case you didn’t know, the busiest junction in India is Howrah junction in Kolkata with as many as 974 trains stopping there daily.