Over 200 years ago, there was a realisation of the need for railways in India. Arthur Cotton fulfilled the requirement in 1837.The railroad made by him was from the Red Hills to Chintadripet bridge in Madras, which gave it the name Red Hill Railway. The purpose of this railway was to transport the heavy stones of granite. Later in 1845, the formation of another railway was done by Arthur cotton. The purpose was again to transport heavy stones to construct a dam at the Godavari river, and it was named Godavari Dam Construction Railway. Similarly, another railway was formed in the year 1851 for the transportation of construction material in Roorkee for an aqueduct over the Solani River. These railway lines were made for a particular purpose and were later dismantled.

History of the Indian Railways

The Great Indian Peninsula Railway was India’s first official railway and was introduced around 160 years ago. It operated its first passenger train with 400 passengers, distributed among 19 compartments of the train, on April 16, 1853. Three steam engines were used for the purpose and ran over 354 kilometres from Bori bunder to Thane in Maharashtra. 

Although the train was just a means of transportation at the time, it brought a social, political, and economic change in society. With the fast commute of people around the country, the railway helped political leaders and freedom fighters in spreading their movements across the country. It also led to cultural integration, breaking stereotypes among people. Further expansion of railways also increased employment.

Interesting Facts about Indian Railways

The 8th Largest Employer

  • The Indian Railways has 1.254 million employees in the entire nation.
  • It is the 8th largest employer in the entire world.

Fourth Largest Network

  • The Indian railway is spread across the country and operates over 65,000km, making it the fourth-largest railway network globally.
  • It is a state-owned railway network.

The Indian Mountain Railways

  • The Indian railways also have Indian mountain railways. A few of the stations under Indian mountain railways are Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, Nilgiri Mountain Railways, and Kalka Shimla Railways.

World Record of Indian Railways

  • The Indian railway has the world’s most extended railway platform, the Gorakhpur station, which has a length of 1350.26 metres. The second is the Kharagpur railway platform runs over 833.0184 metres.
  • One of the Indian railway undertakings is the world’s tallest rail bridge, which is being built on the river Chenab.
  • The world’s first metropolis with computerised reservations facility was started in 1986 by the Indian railways in New Delhi.
  • The Vivek Express (Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari) of the Indian railways is the longest train route globally, covering 4234 kilometres.

World Heritage Site

The Indian Railway owns two UNESCO world heritage sites. 

  • The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
  • The Indian Mountain Railways.

The Museums of the Indian Railway

  • The Indian Railway has many museums located in Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Mysore, Ghum, Kanpur, and Tiruchirappalli.
  • The railway museum situated in the country’s capital is the largest railway museum in the Asian continent.

More Interesting Facts About Indian Railways

  • With a length of 11.215 kilometres, the Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel in the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir is the tunnel with the most extended length in the country.
  • On December 1, 2007, an awareness campaign train was operated because of World AIDS day. The campaign was operated by the Indian railway. The train used in the campaign was the Red Ribbon Express.
  • The record for the most number of railway tracks going through the city is owned by Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.
  • The maximum number of trains that pass through a station is 974. This train passes through Kolkata station, making it the busiest junction in India.

Conclusion

The Indian Railway is over 160 years old. The first Indian passenger train was operated by the engine Sahib, Sultan, and Sindh in 1853. The Indian railway has a humongous workforce of 1.254 million people, making it the world’s eighth-largest employer. It also has the fourth-largest rail network globally, which has a length of 65,000 km.