When it comes to railway transport, Indian railways are unbeatable as it has now served for more than 150 years and has gained much significance in the public transport industry of the nation. Indian Railways operate between 7,100 stations and it has 60,000+ professional coaches. This makes Indian railways the 4th largest rail network of the world.
Post-launch period, the IRCTC (Indian Railways Giving in and Tourism Corporation Limited) has formed a strong virtual platform with lots of railway services for the commuters’ convenience. The marketing and technical working of IRCTC has brought many positive reforms in the management performance. Just like IRCTC, Delhi Metro has also made a significant influence on the Indian Public transport industry. If a commuter visits the official IRCTC website platform, he or she will cross over several holiday offers, hotel reservations, rail packages and so much more. One can also get etickets with the help of this platform. However, it is interesting to know that Indian Railways are one of the most fascinating development ever experienced by the nation and its people. Indian Railways are the heart of traveling and hence, it has several quick and interesting facts one needs to know:
- Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi express is the fastest train that runs on the average speed of 150 km per hour. Moreover, it covers the entire journey within 8 hours.
- Whereas the slowest train is Mettupalayam Ooty Nilgiri Passenger Express which runs at the speed of only 10 km per hour. For a distance to cover almost 45 km, it takes 4 hours.
- Vivek Express is the train that covers the longest distance. It covers the regions of Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari which is almost 5000 km.
- Howrah-Amritsar Express stops more than it runs. There are more than 90 stoppages.
- Lucknow railway station is the busiest station in India. Each day more than 65 trains have a halt here.
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway is the only Indian Railway Station that has been listed as UNESCO’s global heritage site.
- Delhi railway station has been named in the Guinness Book of World Records as it has the largest route for interlock systems.
- Situated in Jammu and Kashmir, Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel is the longest tunnel with a length of 11.25 km.
These were some of the magical facts about the Indian railways which have helped it to become the pride of India. As an Indian, it is necessary to know these and boost them in front of the world. These are the assets of our nation that will help us to be the number one railway network in the coming years.
You can check the online train running status of any train by using this free tool: http://livetrainstatus.co.in/
I have been on the Shatabdi Express and in Executive Class it is certainly a very comfortable ride – better than most European trains. I also enjoyed the food (which was included in the ticket price). But, as you say, there are many other services which are pretty poor.PS: IRCTC stands for ‘Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation’