Let’s talk Indian Railways

Indian Railways are a legacy of the British rule in India. Even though the British exploited Indians and India with brutal laws and even more brutal implementation, they did some good things related to infrastructure, one among them is railways. The basic structure which the British create is still working despite so many years and numerous reforms. Why to tinker something that is working?

Today the railways is on time, spick and span and is managed efficiently. The year is 2024 and it is very important to mention this because running Railways efficiently is an important part of the govt functioning and spending. The present govt has done exactly that by heavily investing in railways and infrastructure. Today rail travel is an enjoyable experience which builds up on history.

1.   The first passenger train in India ran between Bori Bunder and Thane on 16th April 1853 covering a distance of 34 kms. It carried around 400 passengers. The train was operated by Great Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR). The train had 14 bogies and was pulled by three steam engines by the names, Sahib, Sindh and Sultan. This railway line was extended to Kalyan in the same year in the month of May. The railway line was a double line. 

2.   The Great Indian Peninsular was a company formed in the year 1845 for building and operating railway networks in India. Another company on similar lines was formed in the same year by the name East Indian Railway Corporation. Since India that time was ruled by the East India Company, these railway companies were operated by private entrepreneurs. 

3.   The first goods train hauled by a steam locomotive ran in England in 1808. Within four years, 1812 the first of the passenger train started running in England. By 1830, the commercial railways started running all over England. Within the next 20 years, this technology was brought to India. Primarily for faster movement of good within the country and also generate revenue through passenger ticket sales.

4.   Bori Bunder could be the first railway station in India. It was built before 1853. Bori in Marathi means sack and Bunder is like a warehouse or rather a port. Later the railway station of rebuilt into a massive terminus the house the trains as well as the railway offices. Construction finished in 1888. Since then it was known as Victoria Terminus or VT for the locals until 2017 when it was renamed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or CST. 

5.   Swachh Rail, Swachh Bharat campaign launched in 2015 has bore fruit 10 years later. Overall improvement in cleanliness on the railway track and platforms plus a competition between stations to bag the honors of the top slot. 

6.   Srikakulam Railway Station has bagged the award for the cleanest railway station in India. Other railway stations which keep figuring on the list of top 10 are Jaipur, Jodhpur, Surat, Beas, Rajkot, Surat, Vijaywada, Visakhapatnam and Anand Vihar Terminus. 

7.   While the railway stations of UP are giving the state the reputation it deserves, the honors for the dirtiest railway station in India has been taken by the Perungalathur Railway Station in Kerala. The next station on this list is Sadar Bazar Railway Station in New Delhi which is simply overwhelmed by the footfall of people. The other notable railways stations are all in Uttar Pradesh like Shahganj, Jhansi, Khurja and at times Agra and Kanpur too. 

8.   With such a vast network there is bound to be some paranormal activity reported. There are two officially recorded haunted stations in India. The Begunkodor Railway Station in West Bengal was closed for nearly 42 years when passengers reported seeing a woman wearing a saree in the station premises. It also led to unexplained deaths of people who reported seeing the woman. The station was reopened in 2009. In contrast Naini Junction Railway station near Prayagraj is haunted by good spirits. Many passengers have felt the presence of these spirits. These spirits are of the freedom fighters who were hanged in Naini Jail during the British rule. 

9.   Howrah Railway Station is not only one of the oldest railway station in India, it is also the busiest. Right from 15 Aug 1854, the train services running from this station are phenomenal. 600 passenger trains pass through it’s 23 platform with 1 to 16 in the old complex and 17 to 23 in the newer Terminal 2. Once Platform No 1 is ready it will be 1296 meters long making it the third longest platform in India. Rough estimates put the number of passengers handled at almost 10 lakhs. At the international level, Shinjuku Station in Japan handles 35 lakh passengers in a day. Many website therefore put Shinjuku Station at the top of the list of busiest railways stations. 

10.   The title for the remotest railway station in India is shared between three stations. Dibrugarh is the last stop for the famous Delhi Dibrugarh Rajdhani which covers a distance of 2433 kms in 3 days. Then there is Lekhapani Railway station again in Tinsukia district of Assam which has been closed since 1993. And finally there is Ledo which currently holds the official title of the last railway station in the East. Ledo just has a population of 6,540 people and is again in Tinsukia district. There are some other interesting facts about Ledo.

The first coal mine was started in 1882 and since then Ledo is famous for the railways and high quality coal. Ledo also came into international notice when during the Second World War, the Japanese advance threatened to swallow China and the Imperial Seat of the British power in India. the Allies fully knew that if India falls into the hands of the Japanese, there is going to be a big dent in the war effort. So it was decided to build a road to China from the rail head in Assam to deliver war supplies to China to stop the advance of Japanese Army. The construction of road was completed in record time in 1943 and the army trucks started rolling. Out of 1,726 kms, 1033 kms is in Burma, 632 kms in China and just 61 kms in India. After the fall of Rangoon, the capital of Burma, this road use was stopped and supplies were airlifted over the Himalayas on a route called the Hump. After the war ended, this road went into disuse. 

The starting point of this road was Ledo railway station after which supplies were loaded onto trucks. From there the road went to Mong-Yu road where it joined the Burma Road which went till Wanting on the Chinese border and from there to Kunming. About 15000 US Army soldiers were involved in the construction of this road with 35,000 local workers. Over 1,100 American soldiers lost their life constructing this road of 1726 Kms which makes it one life lost over one and a half kms. No other road construction would have resulted in the loss of so many soldiers. The Japanese on the other hand lost an estimated 3000 soldiers trying to secure the Ledo road, such was its importance. 

11.   The Highest Railways Station in India is Ghum Railway Station in West Bengal along the Darjeeling Toy Train route at a height of 2258 meters. 

12.   The most famous still operational toy train is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway running between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling. It climbs from 100m elevation at NJP to 2200m at Darjeeling. Who in India has not heard the song sung by Rajesh Khanna to Sharmila Tagore, “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” in the 1969 film Aradhana. The route which was entirely run by Steam engines is now a mix of steam and diesel. 

13.   The title of the longest platform in the world is now held by Hubali Railway Station at 1,505 meters which is a kilometer and half. Previously the record was held by Gorakhpur Railway Junction at 1,366 meters. 

14.   If there is a longest platform, then there has to be the shortest railway platform in India and that is Baspani Railway Station in Odisha which is 200 meters. Express trains which have a length of 500 meters cannot halt here. The Penumuru Railway Station in Andhra Pradesh has no platforms. Compare that to Howrah Junction which has 23 platforms!

This list cannot be complete without the mention of the longest train journey in India. 

15.   Logically we should be having a North to South train which happens to be the Himsagar Express between Jammu to Kanyakumari which covers a distance of 3800 kms in 73 hours. But that is not the longest train journey in India. That is the Vivek Express which connects Kanyakumari and Dibrugarh. It covers 4200 kms in 80 hours. You will get to spend four days in this train. 

16.   Ever imagined the most expensive train journey in India. The Maharaja Express which covers a tour of the North will cost around Rs 20 lakh for a couple for a 7 day package which the four day package will be approx 11 lakhs. While the cheapest ticket for a Second Class for 50 kms would be just Rs 30.

Next let us talk about beautiful, but remember, beauty comes at a certain risk. 

The most beautiful road journey which people have been enjoying for a long time is the Bombay Goa trip. But there was no railway on this route. Even the British did not bother with the effort. The challenges were almost impossible. So the best scenic routes were the toy train operational in various parts of Indian hill stations. It was George Fernandes who began the process of building a railway line between Mumbai to Goa. Land acquisition was a major challenge but was completed in a record time of one year because people came forward voluntarily to give up their land in face of development of the region. Next challenge was the terrain. This 760 kms route crosses 146 rivers and 2000 bridges. 

Fastest train in India is now the Vande Bharat which tops the speed at 180 km/h. 

The most beautiful train journey in India is between Dadar to Goa in the Vistadome train coach. It covers a distance of 600 kms in 8 hours with large windows providing un-obstructive view of the natural beauty of this railway route. Two trains are presently fitted with the Vistadome coaches on the Mumbai Goa route. 

This article is incomplete without the mention of the iconic Deccan Queen. It was the first true superfast train between Mumbai and Pune. It has a pantry car which is again a first and the first woman only coach. It was also the first vestibuled train which means that the two cars or coaches were connected to each other by a passage so you can actually walk from one end of the train to another while it is running. 

The Deccan Queen began running as a week end luxury train from 1st June 1930 to ferry rich patrons of the Pune Race Course from Mumbai. The coaches were painted in silver and royal blue. The original coaches were in use till they were replaced by modern stainless steel coaches in 1966. 

Every year on 1st June, the passengers celebrate the birthday of the train. They are regular pass holders who travel from Pune to Mumbai daily for work, railway fans and the railway officials. on 1st June 2030 this train will complete 100 years of its run. There is bound to be a big celebration both at Pune where the train departs at 7:15 am every morning and at Mumbai where it departs at 5:10 pm everyday. Be there or be square.