Established in 1853, Indian Railway is one of the world’s largest railway networks comprising of a total of 114,500 km of track and 7500 stations. It operates both long-distance and suburban rail systems running on meter, broad and narrow gauges. It connects various parts of the country and plays a major role in the national integration, bringing people from different parts of the country together in one place. It also has some limited services to Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Bhutan and Myanmar will also be connected shortly. About 1000 trains are run by the Indian Railways daily and the trains carry a five-digit code number.
The railway has its own locomotive and coach production centers. Other than long-distance trains and suburban trains there are metro rails in Kolkata, Bangalore and Delhi. The railway is planning to set up more metro rails in other important cities.
You can book tickets 120 to 4 hours prior to the journey, but still getting a reservation in the train is a problem to people, especially during the vacation period. The Ministry is trying to cope up with this situation by introducing new trains and increasing the number of coaches in the existing trains. Special Holiday trains are also run during such periods providing everyone a chance to travel comfortably. Then, there are high-speed trains that are introduced to make travelling quicker.
By carrying out a lot of reforms, Indian Railway is on the road of progress and promises a tension-free and safe journey to all its customers.