Top 18 Interesting Facts about Indian Railways

India had the largest railway network and is an accessible way of travelling in India. Red Hill Railway is the first train which started in 1837 from Red Hills to Chintadripet. Railways are the most inexpensive way of transport which is helpful for all the classes of people. Read More Complete Guide on Indian Railways.

Here is the list of 18 interesting facts about Railways:

1. The first Indian passenger train was started on 16th April 1853. It extends a total area of 33 kilometres from Mumbai to Thane with 400 passengers. The train started 166 years back. This train contains a total of 14 railway carriages, which left the Bori Bunder at 3:30 P.M.
2. For having the world’s Largest Route of the Interlock system, New Delhi Railway station had gained a place in Guinness book of world records. During the periods of high volume, this system to a place where the tracks are interlocked.
3. The fastest train in Indian Railways is New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express which travels at a speed of 150 kmph in the Faridabad-Agra Section. The slowest train is the Mettupalayam – Ooty Nilgiri passenger which travels with a speed of 10 kmph.
4. The first Indian women Railway Minister is Mamata Banerjee, who is the current CM of West Bengal. She had also gained the credit of first female railway minister who submitted the railway budget of 2 different governments in the centre.
5. The Railway budget first live cast took place on March 24th 1994. The minister who presented the railway budget for 6 times in a row is Lalu Prasad Yadav, who remained in place from 2004 to May 2009.
6. The share of railways is accounted for in 15% for public transport and 30% for freight. But in the post-independence era, it is as high as 75% and 90% respectively.
7. The general government finances and railway finances of India were separated in 1924, according to the report of the economist, William Acworth. He presented a sperate budget of Railways in the recommendation of a 10 members worth committee.
8. Indian Railways was nationalised in 1951. It is the world’s 2nd largest railway network operated under a single management and largest railway network in Asia. It carries a total of 23 million passengers daily with 12,617 train with a track length of 1,15,000 kilometres. It connects more than 7,172 stations.
9. Indian Railways had 9,549 locomotives, 2,39,281 freight wagons and 59,713 passenger coaches. Indian Railways had entered a select club of railways which carries more than 1 billion tons of freight.
10. The Fairy Queen is listed as the oldest functioning steam engine in Guinness Book of world records. It runs between New Delhi and Rajasthan and it also received the Heritage Award from International Tourist Bureau.
11. UNESCO had declared 4 sites as “World Heritage sites”, namely Kalka-Shimla Railways in 2008, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in 1999, Nilgiri Mountain Railways in 2005 and Mumbai CST building in 2004.
12. The station with the largest name is venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta, which can be called as ‘Sri’. The shortest name of the station is lb -in Odisha.
13. The computerized reservation was introduced into Indian Railways in 1986. More than half a century after the starting of the operation of Railways, toilets were introduced into Indian Railways in the year 1909.
14. Vivek Express is the longest route which covers a total distance of 4,286 km between Dibrugarh and Kanyakumari. It takes around 82 hours 30 minutes. Pir Panjal is India’s longest tunnel which connects Banihal and Kashmir valley.
15. World’s highest railway bridge is being built by Indian Railways which is 35 meters taller than that of the Eiffel tower and 5 times the height of the Qutub Minar. It is for the rail link to the Kashmir valley constructed over the Chenab River. It will rise around 359 meters over the Chenab River.
16. According to the Economist, Indian Railways had 1.4 million employees and is the 7th largest employer. Remaining 6 are British Health Service, State Grid of China, China National Petroleum, Wal-Mart, China Army and US Department of Defence.
17. The world’s longest renovated platform is Gorakhpur Railway Station which is of a total measure of 1,366 meters. Until now, the longest platform is Kharagpur station in West Bengal, with a total distance of 1,072 meters. The next longest platform is the Chicago State Street Center subway station, with a total distance of 1,067.
18. The train run of India’s fastest train is completed which runs at a speed of 160 km per hour. It will cover the distance between Delhi and Agra in just 90 minutes, the journey time will be cut down by 30 minutes. It is the first semi-high-speed train being launched in India.

Indian Railways run most famous luxury train in India like Palace on Wheels which offers world-class facilities onboard the train.