Description: This is a railway ticker,when any updation about train timings are found...

it informs all the

client ticker's about the update and they roll the updates.one can also roll default timings..

RAILWAY RESERVATION SYSTEM should be able to manage all the reservation related functions. The
system should be distributed in nature. This system is divided into five zones.

NORTH ZONE
SOUTH ZONE
EAST ZONE
WEST ZONE
CENTRAL ZONE

Each zone should have same functionalities. Each zone will stores the information about train name, train
schedules, availability. The administrator should be able to enter any change related to the train
information like change in train name, number etc. The system should be able to reserve seat in a train
for a passenger. First the clerk will check for availability for the seats in a particular train on a specified
date of journey. If it is available the clerk will reserve seats. The passenger will be given a unique PNR
no. The system should be able to cancel a reservation. The clerk will delete the entries in the system. The
passenger can check their reservation status online by entering their PNR no. The system will display his
current status like confirmed, RAC or waiting list. They are also able to see information related to the train
schedules. The system should be able to print the report like it should be able to generate reservation
chart, train report, reservation ticket which will have train no and name, date of journey, boarding station,
destination station, person name, age, [censored], total fare and a unique PNR no. The system should be
able to print the cancellation ticket which will have total fare and the amount deducted.
Indian Railways (reporting mark IR) is a state-owned railway company, responsible for rail transport
in India. It is owned and operated by the Government of India through the Ministry of Railways. It
is fourth largest railway network in the world comprising 119,630 kilometres (74,330 mi) of total
track[4] and 92,081 km (57,216 mi) of running track over a route of 66,687 km (41,437 mi) with 7,216
stations at the end of 2015-16.[2] In 2015-16, IR carried 8.107 billion passengers annually or more
than 22 million passengers a day and 1.101 billion tons of freight annually.[2]
Railways first introduced to India in 1853 from Bombay to Thane. In 1951 the systems were
nationalised as one unit, the Indian Railways, becoming one of the largest networks in the world. IR
operates both long distance and suburban rail systems predominantly on a network of broad gauge.
Small stretches of its network use metre and narrow gauges. It also
owns locomotive and coach production facilities at several places in India, with assigned codes
identifying their gauge, kind of power and type of operation. Its services cover twenty-six states and
three union territories across India, and also has international connectivity
to Bangladesh (with Bangladesh Railway) and Pakistan (with Pakistan Railways).
Indian Railways is the world's eighth biggest employer and had 1.331 million employees at the end
of 2015-16.[3] In 20152016 Indian Railways had revenues of 1.683 trillion (US$26 billion) which
consists of 1.069 trillion (US$17 billion) freight earnings and 442.83 billion (US$6.9 billion)
passengers earnings.[2] It had operating ratio of 90.5% in 2015-16.[2] As on the end of 2015-16,
IR's rolling stock comprises over 251,256 Freight Wagons, 70,241 Passenger Coaches and
11,122 Locomotives (39 steam, 5,869 diesel and 5214 electric locomotives).[2]
Indian Railways run on average 13,313 passenger trains daily in 2015-16. Mail or Express trains,
most common type, run at average speed of 50.9 km/hr.[5] The trains have a 5 digit numbering
system. As of at the end of 2015-16, of the total 68,525 km (42,579 mi) route length, 28,327 km
(17,602 mi) (45%) was electrified and 28,371 km (17,629 mi) (37%) was Double or Multiple line
route.[6]

Contents
[hide]
 1History
2Organisational structure
o 2.1Financial issues
3Railway zones
4Tracks
5Electrification
6Rolling stock
o 6.1Locomotives
o 6.2Goods wagons
o 6.3Passenger coaches
o 6.4Freight
7Accommodation classes
8Research and development
o 8.1Bio-toilets on railways
o 8.2Locomotive factories
9Types of passenger services
10Notable trains
o 10.1Tourist trains
o 10.2Other trains
11UNESCO world heritage sites
12Recruitment and Training
13Links to adjacent countries
14Gallery
15See also
16References
17Further reading
18External links

History[edit]
Main article: History of rail transport in India
The history of railway transport in India began in the mid-nineteenth century. The core of the
pressure for building railways In India came from London. In 1848, there was not a single kilometre
of railway line in India. The country's first railway, built by the Great Indian Peninsula
Railway (GIPR). Opened in 1853, between Bombay and Thane.[7] The East Indian Railway Company
was established 1 June 1845 in London by a deed of settlement with a capital of 4,000,000,
primarily raised in London.[8] The Great Southern India Railway Co. was founded in Britain in 1853
and registered in 1859. Construction of track in Madras Presidency began in 1859 and the 80-mile
link from Trichinopoly to Negapatam was opened in 1861. The Carnatic Railway founded in 1864,
opened a Madras-Arakkonam-Kancheepuram line in 1865. The Great Southern India Railway
Company was subsequently merged with the Carnatic Railway Company in 1874 to form the South
Indian Railway Company.[9][10]
A British engineer, Robert Maitland Brereton, was responsible for the expansion of the railways from
1857 onwards. The Allahabad-Jabalpur branch line of the East Indian Railway had been opened in
June 1867. Brereton was responsible for linking this with the GIPR, resulting in a combined network
of 6,400 km (4,000 mi). Hence it became possible to travel directly from Bombay to Calcutta. This
route officially opened on 7 March 1870, and it was part of the inspiration for French writer Jules
Verne's book Around the World in Eighty Days. At the opening ceremony, the Viceroy Lord Mayo
concluded that "it was thought desirable that, if possible, at the earliest possible moment, the whole
country should be covered with a network of lines in a uniform system".[11]
By 1875, about 95 million were invested by British companies in India.[12] By 1880 the network had a
route mileage of about 14,500 km (9,000 mi), mostly radiating inward from the three major port cities
of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. By 1895, India had started building its own locomotives, and in
1896, sent engineers and locomotives to help build the Uganda Railways.
In 1900, the GIPR became a government owned company. The network spread to the modern day
states of Assam, Rajputana and Madras Presidency and soon various autonomous kingdoms began
to have their own rail systems. In 1905, a new Railway Board was constituted, but the powers were
formally vested under Lord Curzon.[13] It served under the Department of Commerce and Industry
and had a government railway official serving as chairman, and a railway manager from England
and an agent of one of the company railways as the other two members. For the first time in its
history, the Railways began to make a profit.
In 1907 almost all the rail companies were taken over by the government. The following year, the
first electric locomotive made its appearance. With the arrival of World War I, the railways were used
to meet the needs of the British outside India. With the end of the war, the railways were in a state of
disrepair and collapse. Large scale corruption by British officials involved in the running of these
railways companies was rampant. Profits were never reinvested in the development of British
colonial India.[14] In 1920, with the network having expanded to 61,220 km (38,040 mi),[15] a need for
central management was mooted by Sir William Acworth. Based on the East India Railway
Committee chaired by Acworth, the government took over the management of the Railways and
detached the finances of the Railways from other governmental revenues.
The period between 1920 and 1929 was a period of economic boom; there were 41,000 mi
(66,000 km) of railway lines serving the country; the railways represented a capital value of some
687 million sterling; and they carried over 620 million passengers and approximately 90 million tons
of goods each year.[16] Following the Great Depression, the railways suffered economically for the
next eight years. The Second World War severely crippled the railways. Starting in 1939, about 40%
of the rolling stock including locomotives and coaches was taken to the Middle East. The railway
workshops were converted to ammunition workshops, and many railway tracks were dismantled to
help the Allies in the war. By 1946, all railway systems had been taken over by the government.

Organisational structure[edit]
Main article: Indian Railway organisational structure
The apex management organisation is the Railway Board, also called the Ministry of Railways. The
board is headed by a Chairman who reports to the Minister of Railways. The board has five other
members in addition to the chairman. The General Managers of the Zonal Railways and the
production units report to the board.

Financial issues[edit]
Indian Railways is cash strapped and reported a loss of 300 billion (US$4.7 billion) in the
passenger segment for the year ending March 2014. Operating ratio, a key metric used by Indian
railways to gauge financial health, is 109% for the period April - Dec in 2016.[17] Railways carry a
social obligation of over 200 billion (US$3.1 billion). The loss per passenger-km increased to 23
paise (0.36 US) by the end of March 2014. Indian Railways is left with a surplus cash of just 6.9
billion (US$110 million) by the end of March 2014.[18]
It was estimated in 2014 that over 5 trillion (US$78 billion) is required to complete the ongoing
projects alone. The railway is consistently losing market share to other modes of transport both in
freight and passengers.[19]
New rail line projects are often announced during the Railway Budget annually without securing
additional funding for them. Between 2004 and 2014, 99 New Line projects worth 600
billion (US$9.3 billion) were sanctioned out of which only one project is complete till date, and there
are four projects that are as old as 30 years but are still not complete for one reason or another.[18]

Railway zones[edit]
Further information: Zones and divisions of Indian Railways
Indian Railways is divided into 17 zones,[20][21] which are further sub-divided into divisions. The
number of zones in Indian Railways increased from six to eight in 1951, nine in 1966 and sixteen in
2003.[22][23] Each zonal railway is made up of a certain number of divisions, each having a divisional
headquarters. There are a total of sixty-eight divisions.[24][25]
Each zone is headed by a general manager, who reports directly to the Railway Board. The zones
are further divided into divisions, under the control of divisional railway managers (DRM). The
divisional officers, of engineering, mechanical, electrical, signal and telecommunication, accounts,
personnel, operating, commercial, security and safety branches, report to the respective Divisional
Railway Manager and are in charge of operation and maintenance of assets. Further down the
hierarchy tree are the station masters, who control individual stations and train movements through
the track territory under their stations' administration.
The chart below briefly depicts the Indian Railway's zones, Route Km, number of stations and
divisions.

Na
Ro
me
ute Num
S of
len ber Zone
l. the Ab
gth of Headqu Railway Divisions
N Rail br.
(in Stati arters
o way
Km ons
zon
)
e

Northe
rn Delhi,[26] Ambala,[27] Firozpur,[28] Lucknow
1. NR 6968 1142 Delhi
Railwa NR,[29] Moradabad[30]
y

North
Easter
Gorakhpu
2. n NER 3667 537 Izzatnagar,[31] Lucknow NER,[32] Varanasi[33]
r
Railwa
y

Northe
ast Alipurduar, Katihar, Rangiya, Lumding, Tinsukia[3
3. NFR 3907 690 Guwahati
Frontie 4]

r
Railwa
 Na
Ro
me
ute Num
S of
len ber Zone
l. the Ab
gth of Headqu Railway Divisions
N Rail br.
(in Stati arters
o way
Km ons
zon
)
e

Easter
n
4. ER 2414 576 Kolkata Howrah,[35] Sealdah,[36] Asansol,[37] Malda[38]
Railwa
y

South
Easter
5. n SER 2631 353 Kolkata Adra,[39] Chakradharpur,[40] Kharagpur,[41] Ranchi[42]
Railwa
y

South
Centra
Secunder Secunderabad,[43] Hyderabad,[44] Vijayawada,[45]G
6. l SCR 6115 883
abad untakal,[46] Guntur,[47]Nanded[48]
Railwa
y

Southe
rn Chennai,[49] Tiruchirappalli,[50] Madurai,[51] Palakka
7. SR 5079 890 Chennai
Railwa d,[52] Salem,[53]Thiruvananthapuram[54]
y

Centra
l Mumbai,[55] Bhusawal,[56] Pune,[57] Solapur,[58] Nagp
8. CR 3905 612 Mumbai
Railwa ur[59]
y

Wester
Mumbai
n
9. WR 6182 1046 Mumbai WR,[60] Ratlam,[61] Ahmedabad, Rajkot,[62] Bhavna
Railwa
gar,[63]Vadodara[64]
y
 Na
Ro
me
ute Num
S of
len ber Zone
l. the Ab
gth of Headqu Railway Divisions
N Rail br.
(in Stati arters
o way
Km ons
zon
)
e

South
Wester
10. n SWR 3177 456 Hubballi Hubballi,[65] Bengaluru,[66] Mysuru,[67]
Railwa
y

North
Wester
11. n NWR 5459 663 Jaipur Jaipur,[68] Ajmer,[69] Bikaner,[70] Jodhpur[71]
Railwa
y

West
Centra
12. l WCR 2965 372 Jabalpur Jabalpur,[72] Bhopal,[73] Kota[74]
Railwa
y

North
Centra
13. l NCR 3151 435 Allahabad Allahabad,[75] Agra,[76] Jhansi[77]
Railwa
y

South
East
Centra SEC
14. 2447 358 Bilaspur Bilaspur,[78] Raipur,[79] Nagpur SEC[80]
l R
Railwa
y

East ECo Bhubanes

15. 2572 342 Khurda Road,[81] Sambalpur,[82] Waltair[83]
Coast R war
Railwa
 Na
Ro
me
ute Num
S of
len ber Zone
l. the Ab
gth of Headqu Railway Divisions
N Rail br.
(in Stati arters
o way
Km ons
zon
)
e

East
Centra
Danapur,[84] Dhanbad,[85] Mughalsarai,[86] Samastip
16. l ECR 3628 800 Hajipur
ur,[87] Sonpur[88]
Railwa
y

Kolkat
17. a MTP 27 75 Kolkata NA
Metro

Tracks[edit]

Comparison of different gauges common in India with the standard gauge, which is not common in India

The total track length of network is 119,640 km (74,340 mi) while the total route length of the
network is 66,687 km (41,437 mi). Track sections are rated for speeds ranging from 80 to 220 km/h
(50 to 137 mph), though trains don't really clock speeds of 200 km/h. Maximum speed attained by
passenger trains is 177 km/h-180 km/h (110 mph).
Indian gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) (a broad gauge) is the predominant gauge used by Indian
Railways with 108,500 km (67,400 mi) of track length (94% of entire track length of all the gauges)
and 59,400 km (36,900 mi) of route-kilometre (91% of entire route-kilometre of all the gauges). It is
the widest gauge in passenger use in the world. The first railway line built in India was broad gauge
line from Bori Bunder (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) to Thane in 1853.
Urban rail transit lines which serve the urban areas are in 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard
gauge (except suburban rail which is in Indian gauge). These
encompass metro, monorail and trams. As of 2016, lines in operation are Kolkata (Calcutta) tram
system, Delhi Metro, Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon, the Bangalore Metro and the Mumbai Metro. These
lines are not operated by Indian Railways.[89]
On decreasing routes, the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in) metre gauge and 762 mm (2 ft 6 in)
and 610 mm (2 ft) narrow gauges are present. These were initially introduced in hilly regions for cost
considerations and simpler engineering. The metre gauge has about 5,000 km (3,100 mi) of track
length (4% of entire track length of all the gauges) and 4,100 km (2,500 mi) of route-kilometre (6% of
entire route-kilometre of all the gauges), while narrow gauges have 1,500 km (930 mi) route-
kilometre (2% of entire route-kilometre of all the gauges), as of 31 March 2016.
Sleepers (ties) are mostly made up of prestressed concrete. Metal and teak sleepers are still in use
on a few lines. This are under conversion to concrete sleepers.

Electrification[edit]
Main article: Central Organisation for Railway Electrification
Around 23,555 km (14,636 mi) of the route-kilometre or 43,357 km (26,941 mi) of running track was
electrified, as of 31 March 2016. India uses 25 kV AC traction on all of its electrified tracks.[90]
Electrification started in India with the inauguration of the first electric train between Victoria
Terminus now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Kurla on 3 February 1925 on the then
existing Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIP) at 1500 V DC. The electric traction on the Central
Railway was extended up to Igatpuri on the North East line and to Pune on the South East line. 1500
volt DC traction was introduced on the Western Railway between Colaba and Borivili on 5 January
1928 and between Madras Beach and Tambaram of the Southern Railway on 11 May 1931. This
was primarily to meet the growing traffic on these metros. Till Independence, India had 388 km of
electrification on DC traction.
In the post independence era, electrification of the Howrah-Burdwan section of the Eastern
Railway was done at 3000 volt DC during the First Five Year Plan period and completed in 1958.
The electric multiple unit (EMU) services were inaugurated in Howrah-Sheoraphuli section on 14
December 1957.
Indian Railways decided in 1957 to adopt the 25 kV AC system of electrification as a standard,
with SNCF as their consultant in the initial stages. 25 kV AC traction is the most widely used electric
traction in the world. The first section electrified on the 25 kV AC system was Raj Kharswan
Dongoaposi on the South Eastern Railway in 1960. The Howrah Burdwan section of the Eastern
Railway and Madras Beach Tambaram section of the Southern Railway were converted to the 25
kV AC system by 1968. Considering the limitations in the existing 1500 volt DC, a decision was
taken to convert to 25 kV AC traction during 1996-97. Conversion from DC traction to AC traction
completed in the year 2012 by Western Railway and in 2016 by Central Railway.

Rolling stock[edit]
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Locomotives[edit]
Main article: Locomotives in India

A WAP 7 class broad gauge ACelectric locomotive.

A WDM-3D broad gauge diesel locomotive.

WAP-4 22794 of ED Shed hauls the Kochuveli H.Nizamuddin Special Fare AC express

Locomotives in India consist of electric and diesel locomotives. The world's first CNG (Compressed
Natural Gas) locomotives are also being used.[91] Steam locomotives are no longer used, except
in heritage trains. In India, locomotives are classified according to their gauge, motive power, the
work they are suited for and their power or model number. The class name includes this information
about the locomotive. It comprises 4 or 5 letters. The first letter denotes the track gauge. The second
letter denotes their motive power, Diesel or Alternating current (Electric), and the third letter denotes
the kind of traffic for which they are suited (goods, passenger, Multi or shunting). The fourth letter
used to denote locomotives' chronological model number. However, from 2002 a new classification
scheme has been adopted. Under this system, for newer diesel locomotives, the fourth letter will
denote their horsepower range. Electric locomotives don't come under this scheme, and even all
diesel locos are not covered. For them, this letter denotes their model number as usual.
A locomotive may sometimes have the fifth letter in its name which denotes a technical variant or
subclass or subtype. This fifth letter indicates some smaller variation in the basic model or series,
perhaps different motors, or a different manufacturer. With the new scheme for classifying diesel
locomotives (as mentioned above) the fifth item is a letter that further refines the horsepower
indication in 100 hp increments: 'A' for 100 hp, 'B' for 200 hp, 'C' for 300 hp, etc. So in this scheme, a
WDM-3A refers to a 3100 hp loco, while a WDM-3D would be a 3400 hp loco and WDM-3F would be
3600 hp loco.
Note: This classification system does not apply to steam locomotives in India as they have become
non-functional now. They retained their original class names such as M class or WP class.
Diesel Locomotives are now fitted with Auxiliary Power Units which saves nearly 88% of Fuel during
the idle time when train is not running.[92]

Goods wagons[edit]
The number of goods wagons was 205,596 on 31 March 1951 and reached the maximum number
405,183 on 31 March 1980 after which it started declining and was 239,321 on 31 March 2012. The
number is far less than the requirement, and the Indian Railways keeps losing freight traffic to road.
Indian Railways carried 93 million tonnes of goods in 195051, and it increased to 1010 million
tonnes in 201213.[93]
However, its share in goods traffic is much lower than road traffic. In 1951, its share was 65%, and
the share of the road was 35%. Now the shares have been reversed, and the proportion of railways
has declined to 30% and the share of road has increased to 70%.

Passenger coaches[edit]
Indian Railways has several types of passenger coaches.
The coaches used in Indian Railways are produced at Integral Coach Factory, Rail Coach
Factory, Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli; including the new LHB coaches.
Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) coaches are used for suburban traffic in large cities
mainly Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. These coaches
numbered 7,793 on 31 March 2012. They have second class and first class seating accommodation.
Passenger coaches numbered 46,722 on 31 March 2012. Other coaches (luggage coach, parcel
van, guard's coach, mail coach, etc.) numbered 6,560 on 31 March 2012.

Freight[edit]
Indian Railways earns about 70% of its revenues from freight traffic (686.2 billion from freight and
304.6 billion from passengers in 201112). Most of its profits come from transporting freight, and
this makes up for losses on passenger traffic. It deliberately keeps its passenger fares low and
cross-subsidises the loss-making passenger traffic with the profit-making freight traffic.
Since the 1990s, Indian Railways has stopped single-wagon consignments and provides only full
rake freight trains
Wagon types include:[94]

BOXN = BOXN-HL, BOXN-HS, BOXN-HL, BOXN-CR,BOXN-LW,BOXN-AL,BOXN-EL.

BOBYN
BCNA
BCNHL
BTPN
BCACBM
BCCN
BOBRN
 BRH
BTPGLN
VVN

Accommodation classes[edit]
Main article: Indian Railways coaching stock

Interior of a First Class(1A) compartment in the Rajdhani Express

Interior of a 3-tier AC(3AC) compartment of the Dakshin Express

Interior of an air-conditioned Chair Car (CC) coach in an Jan Shatabdi Express.

Indian Railways has several classes of travel with or without air conditioning. A train may have just
one or many classes of travel. Slow passenger trains have only unreserved seating class whereas
Rajdhani, Duronto, Shatabdi, Garib Rath and Yuva trains have only air-conditioned classes. The
fares for all classes are different with unreserved seating class being the cheapest. The fare of
Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi trains includes food served in the train, but the fare for other trains
does not include food that has to be bought separately. From September 2016, the Indian Railways
have introduced dynamic fares for all accommodation classes for Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi
trains(except 1AC and EC classes) to shore up revenue.[95] In long-distance trains a pantry car is
usually included and the food is served at the berth or seat itself. Luxury trains such as Palace on
Wheels have separate dining cars, but these trains cost as much as or more than a five-star hotel
room.
A standard passenger rake has four unreserved (also called "general") compartments, two at the
front and two at the end, of which one may be exclusively for ladies. The exact number of other
coaches varies according to the demand and the route. A luggage compartment can also exist at the
front or the back. In some mail trains, a separate mail coach is attached. Lavatories are communal
and feature both the Indian style as well as the Western style.
The following table lists the classes in operation. A train may not have all these classes.

Class[96] Description[97][98]
1A First class AC: This is the most expensive class, where the fares are almost at par with
airfare. There are eight cabins (including two coupes) in the full AC First Class coach and
three cabins (including one coupe) in the half AC First Class coach. The coach has an
attendant to help the passengers. Bedding is included with the fare. This air conditioned
coach is present only on popular routes and can carry 18 passengers (full coach) or 10
passengers (half coach). The sleeper berths are extremely wide and spacious. The
coaches are carpeted, have sleeping accommodation and have privacy features like
personal coupes.
2A AC two tier: These air-conditioned coaches have sleeping berths across eight bays. Berths
are usually arranged in two tiers in bays of six, four across the width of the coach and two
berths longways on the other side of the corridor, with curtains along the gangway or
corridor. Bedding is included with the fare. A coach can carry 48 passengers (full coach) or
20 passengers (half coach).
FC First class: Similar as 1A, but without air conditioning. No bedding is available in this class.
The berths are wide and spacious. There is a coach attendant to help the passengers. This
class has been phased out completely. However, heritage railways to hill stations have this
class.
3A AC three tier: Air conditioned coaches with 64 sleeping berths. Berths are usually arranged
as in 2AC but with three tiers across the width and two longways as before giving eight
bays of eight. They are slightly less well-appointed, usually no reading lights or curtained off
gangways. Bedding is included with fare. It carries 64 passengers.
3E AC three tier (Economy): Air conditioned coaches with sleeping berths, present in Garib
Rath Express trains. Berths are usually arranged as in 3A but with three tiers across the
width and three longways. They are slightly less well-appointed, usually no reading lights or
curtained off gangways. Bedding is not included with fare.
EC Executive class chair car: An air-conditioned seater coach with large spacious seats and
legroom. It has a total of four seats in a row used for day travel between cities. This class of
travel is only available on Shatabdi Express trains.
CC AC chair car: An air-conditioned seater coach with a total of five seats in a row used for
day travel between cities. AC Double Deck sitter coaches are used in Double Decker
Express.
SL Sleeper: The sleeper class is the most common coach on the Indian Railways, and usually
ten or more coaches of SL arebe attached to a train rake. These are regular sleeping
coaches with three berths vertically stacked, without air conditioning. It carries 72
passengers per coach. The new LHB Sleeper coaches can carry up to 80 passengers.
2S Second Seater: similar as CC, without the air-conditioning. These may be reserved in
advance or may be unreserved. Non-AC Double Deck sitter was introduced to few Mumbai-
Pune trains and the Flying Ranee. However, Flying Ranee and Valsad Passenger are only
 the trains that use Non-AC Double Decker sitter coaches.
GEN General: This is the cheapest accommodation. These coaches are usually over-crowded,
and a seat is not guaranteed. Tickets are issued in advance for a minimum journey of more
than 24 hours. Tickets issued are valid on any train on the same route if boarded within 24
hours of buying the ticket.

At the rear of the train is a special compartment known as the guard's cabin. It is fitted with
a transceiver and is where the guard usually gives the all clear signal before the train departs.

Research and development[edit]

Main article: Future of the Indian Railways
Indian Railways has a full-fledged organisation known as Research Designs and Standards
Organisation (RDSO), located at Lucknow for all research, designs and standardisation tasks.
In August 2013, Indian Railways entered into a partnership with Indian Institute of Technology
(Madras) to develop technology to trap solar energy for lighting and air-conditioning in the coaches.
This would significantly reduce the fossil fuel dependency for Indian Railways.[99]
Recently it developed and tested the Improved Automated Fire Alarm System in Rajdhani Express
Trains. It is intended that the system be applied to AC coaches of all regular trains.[100]
In recent years, Indian Railways has undertaken several initiatives to upgrade its ageing
infrastructure and enhance its quality of service. The Indian government plans to invest 9.05
trillion (US$140 billion) to upgrade the railways by 2020.[101] Indian Railways is refurbishing 12-15
year old coaches at Carriage Rehabilitation Workshop in Bhopal to enhance passenger amenities
and fire safety measures.[102][103]

Bio-toilets on railways[edit]
The bio-toilets, which have been developed by the railways and the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO), have a colony of anaerobic bacteria, kept in a container under
the lavatories that convert human waste into water and small amounts of gases. The gases are
released into the atmosphere and the water is discharged after chlorination on to the track. The
railways currently uses flush toilets in trains, in which human waste is dumped directly on the track.
This makes the environment unhygienic and railway stations an eyesore, apart from the fact that the
faecal matter corrodes the tracks.
Southern Railways officials say that except for the first- and two-tier AC coaches of Uzhavan
Express, the remaining 34 coaches have been fitted with bio-toilets. "These toilets aim at zero
defecation on the ground," says Vinay Srivastava, former director-in-charge of the bio-toilet project
who is currently working as Director, Ministry of Environment and Forests.
More bio-toilets have been fitted into coaches this year[clarification needed]more than the total bio-toilets fitted
in the last three years. According to an IR source, the number of bio-toilets fitted in passenger train
coaches from April to July this year this year[clarification needed] was 2,285, against 1,337 bio-toilets fitted
during 2012-13, 169 during 2011-12, and 57 during 2010-11.

Locomotive factories[edit]
In 2015, plans were disclosed for building two locomotive factories in the state of Bihar,
at Madhepura (electric locomotive) and at Marhaura (Diesel Locomotive).[104] Both factories involve
foreign partnerships. The diesel locomotive works will be jointly operated in a partnership
with General Electric, which has invested 20.52 billion (US$320 million) for its construction, and the
electric locomotive works with Alstom, which has invested 12.935 billion (US$200 million). The
factories will provide Indian Railways with 800 electric locomotives of 12,000 horse power each, and
a mix of 1,000 diesel locomotives of 4,500 and 6,000 horsepower each.[105] In November 2015,
further details of the 146.56 billion (US$2.3 billion) partnership with GE were announced: Indian
Railways and GE would engage in an 11-year joint venture in which GE would hold a majority stake
of 74%. Under the terms of the joint venture, Indian Railways would purchase 100 goods
locomotives a year for 10 years beginning in 2017; the locomotives would be modified versions of
the GE Evolution series.[106] The diesel locomotive works will be built by 2018; GE will import the first
100 locomotives and manufacture the remaining 900 in India from 2019, also assuming
responsibility for their maintenance over a 13-year period.[107] In the same month, a 200
billion (US$3.1 billion) partnership with Alstom to supply 800 electric locomotives from 2018 to 2028
was announced.[101]

Types of passenger services[edit]

Gatiman Express. A semi high speed train

Mumbai Rajdhani Express. Rajdhanis are long-distance high-speed and high-priority trains connecting major
state capitals with New Delhi

Secunderabad Yeshwanthpur Garib-Rath Express. Garib-Raths are low cost A/C trains

Trains are classified by their average speed.[108] A faster train has fewer stops ("halts") than a slower
one and usually caters to long-distance travel.

S.n Train Description

 o
1 Gatimaan Express
2 Shatabdi Express
3 Rajdhani Express
4 Duronto Express
5 AC Express
6 Tejas Express
7 Double Decker Express
8 Uday Express
9 Jan Shatabdi Express
10 Garib Rath
It is a semi high speed train that runs between Delhi and Agra in
India. It operates at a speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) and is the fastest
train in India. The train takes a travel time of 100 minutes to cover
188 km (117 mi) journey from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra
Cantonment railway stations.
The Shatabdi trains are air-conditioned, intercity trains for travel
during daytime. Unlike the Rajdhani or Duronto Expresses, all
Shatabdi expresses, it makes a round trip on same day. The Bhopal
Shatabdi Express (Train no: 12001/12002) is one of the fastest train
in India, between New Delhi and Agra cantonment, this train travels at
an average speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) and touches top speed of 150
kilometres per hour (93 mph). They have seats and executive class
seats, Some also have 3-tier AC berth. They have limited stops.
Indian Railway is planning to introduce Wi-Fi services, New Delhi -
Kalka Shatabdi Express being first train for trials.[109]
These are air-conditioned trains linking major cities to New Delhi.
They have high priority and are one of the fastest trains in India,
travelling at a maximum speed of around 130140 km/h (8187 mph).
They have limited stops. In the Railway budget of 2014, it was
proposed that the speed of Rajdhani express, and Shatabdi
Expresses would be increased up 180 km/h (110 mph).
These are the non-stop (except for technical halts) point to point rail
services introduced for the first time in 2009. They connect the metros
and major state capitals of India and were introduced to travel as fast
or faster than the Rajdhani Express. They provide first AC, two-tier
AC and three-tier AC accommodation. Some of them provide non air-
conditioned Sleeper Class accommodation.
These are fully air-conditioned trains linking major cities in the
country. They have high priority and are one of the fastest trains in
India, travelling at about 130 km/h (81 mph). They have limited stops.
Same as Shatabdi Express, these are fully air-conditioned single floor
express trains. They have high priority and have limited stops. But
unlike the Shatabdi Express these trains are sleeper trains used for
long distance hauling.
Same as Shatabdi Express, these are fully air-conditioned two floor
express trains. They have high priority and are among fast trains in
India. They have limited stops. These trains are used for daytime
travel.
Same as Double Decker Express, these are fully air-conditioned two
floor express trains. They have high priority and have limited stops.
These trains have berth facility and are used for night travel.
Jan Shatabdi Express are more affordable variety of the Shatabdi
Express, which have both AC and non-AC classes. The maximum
speed is 110 km/h (68 mph). They have fewer stops.
Air-conditioned no-frills trains with seats and 3-tier Economy AC
berths. The maximum speed is 130 km/h (81 mph). Some of them
have AC Chair cars also.
11 Humsafar Express These are fully AC 3 tier coaches trains. It is also called semi-luxury
train. These train provide so many facilities like LED screen display to
show information about stations and train speed, Speakers for
announcement system, Vending machines for tea and coffee,
Charging ports for charging electronic devices such as mobiles and
laptops, Bio toilets in compartments, Safety measures in
compartments such as introduction of smoke alarms and CCTV
cameras,Heating chamber as well as a refrigerating box for keeping
food, curtains to maintain privacy, Providing with new khadi bed rolls
etc.
12 Sampark Kranti Express These are a series of trains which provide super fast Express-like
connectivity to the national capital Delhi. These trains have higher
priority than Super Express / Mail.
13 Yuva Express These trains were started along with Duronto Express trains to
provide air conditioned travel to youth of the country. Sixty percent of
the seats of these trains were reserved for passengers between 18
45 years of age. These trains did not enjoy much success. Today
these trains only operate on the Delhi - Howrah and Delhi - Mumbai
routes.
14 Kavi Guru Express These trains were introduced in honor of Rabindranath Tagore.
Currently four pairs of these trains operate on the Indian Railways
network.
15 Vivek Express These trains were introduced to commemorate the 150th birth
Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda in 2013. Currently four pairs of
Vivek Express run in the country.
16 Superfast Express/Mail These trains travel at a speed greater than 100110 km/h (62
68 mph). Tickets for these trains have an additional superfast
surcharge.
17 Intercity Express These trains were introduced to connect important cities for short
routes. These appear in both Superfast Express speed and Express
speed category. Some of the famous legendary Intercity Express
are Deccan Queen and Flying Ranee.
18 Rajya Rani Express These trains were introduced to connect state capitals to important
cities in that state.
19 Express/Mails These are the most common kind of trains in India. They have more
stops than their super-fast counterparts, but they stop only at
relatively important intermediate stations.
20 Fast These are slow trains that stop at most or every station along the
Passenger and Passenge route and are the cheapest trains. The trains generally have
r unreserved seating accommodation but some night trains have
sleeper and 3-tier AC compartments. These trains travel at about 40
80 km/h (2550 mph).
21 Suburban trains These trains operate in the urban areas
of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune a
nd between Kanpur and Lucknow, usually stop at every stations and
have unreserved seating accommodation.
22 Metro These trains are designed for city transport. Indian Railway
 constructed the first Kolkata Metro for the city of Kolkata. Now metro
railway services are found in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai,
Bangalore, Jaipur and Gurgaon also.
23 Antyodaya and Jan These are fully non reserved trains. Antyodaya Express operates on
Sadharan Express peak routes. These trains are run to reduce the pressure on other
trains on that route.
24 Mahamana Express It is the new version of coaches of Indian Railways with modern
benefits and facilities. The livery of the train is also different from
other train. It is a tri-weekly superfast train service which runs
between the city of Varanasi and New
Delhi via Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Lucknow and Moradabad.
25 Tourist Trains Indian Railways also operate luxurious tourist trains like Palace on
Wheels, Maharaja Express, The Golden Chariot, Royal Rajasthan on
Wheels etc. Fairy Queen has also gained tourist attraction because it
is the oldest steam engine in operation hauling a luxurious train from
Delhi to Alwar.
26 Heritage Trains Darjeeling Himalayan Railway,Kalka-Shimla Railway and Nilgiri
Mountain Railway: These are narrow gauge railways that run in hilly
regions in India. These lines were combined declared a World
Heritage site by UNESCO.[110]

Notable trains[edit]
Tourist trains[edit]
Palace on Wheels is a specially designed luxury tourist train service, frequently hauled by a
steam locomotive, for promoting tourism in Rajasthan.[111] The train has a 7 nights & 8 days
itinerary, it departs from New Delhi (Day 1), and covers Jaipur (Day 2), Sawai
Madhopur and Chittaurgarh (Day 3), Udaipur (Day 4), Jaisalmer (Day 5), Jodhpur (Day
6), Bharatpur and Agra (Day 7), return to Delhi (Day 8).
Royal Rajasthan on Wheels a luxury tourist train service covers various tourist destinations in
Rajasthan. The train takes tourists on a 7-day/8-night tour through Rajasthan. The train starts
from New Delhi's Safdarjung railway station (Day 1), and has stops at Jodhpur (Day
2), Udaipur and Chittaurgarh (Day 3), Ranthambore National Park and Jaipur (Day
4), Khajuraho (Day 5), Varanasi and Sarnath (Day 6), Agra (Day 7) and back to Delhi (Day 8).[112]
Maharaja Express a luxury train operated by IRCTC runs on five circuits[113] covering more than
12 destinations across North-West and Central India, mainly centered
around Rajasthan between the months of October to April.
 The Maharajas Express,one of the world's most luxurious trains.

Deccan Odyssey luxury tourist train service covers various tourist destinations
in Maharashtra and Goa. The 7 Nights / 8 Days tour starts from Mumbai (Day 1) and
covers Jaigad Fort, Ganapatipule and Ratnagiri (Day
2), Sindhudurg, Tarkarli and Sawantwadi (Day 3), Goa (Day 4), Kolhapur and Pune (Day
5), Aurangabad and Ellora Caves (Day 6), Ajanta Caves and Nashik (Day 7), and back
to Mumbai (Day 8).[114]
The Golden Chariot luxury train runs on two circuits Pride of the South[115] and Splendor of the
South.[116]
Mahaparinirvan Express an a/c train service also known as Buddhist Circuit Train which is run
by IRCTC to attract Buddhist pilgrims. The 7 nights/8 Days tour starts from New Delhi (Day 1)
and covers Bodh Gaya (Day 2), Rajgir and Nalanda (Day 3), Varanasi and Sarnath (Day
4), Kushinagar and Lumbini (Day 5 and 6), Sravasti (Day 7), Taj Mahal (Agra) (Day 8) before
returning to New Delhi on (Day 8).[117]
Other trains[edit]
Samjhauta Express is a train that runs between India and Pakistan. However, hostilities between
the two nations in 2001 saw the line being closed. It was reopened when the hostilities subsided
in 2004. Another train connecting Khokhrapar (Pakistan) and Munabao (India) is the Thar
Express that restarted operations on 18 February 2006; it was earlier closed down after
the 1965 Indo-Pak war.
Lifeline Express is a special train popularly known as the "Hospital-on-Wheels" which provides
healthcare to the rural areas. This train has a carriage that serves as an operating room, a
second one which serves as a storeroom and an additional two that serve as a patient ward.
The train travels around the country, staying at a location for about two months before moving
elsewhere.
Fairy Queen is the oldest operating locomotive in the world today, though it is operated only for
specials between Delhi and Alwar. John Bull, a locomotive older than Fairy Queen, operated in
1981 commemorating its 150th anniversary. Gorakhpur Junction railway station also has the
distinction of being the world's longest railway platform at 4,483 ft (1,366 m). The Ghum station
along the Darjeeling Toy Train route is the second highest railway station in the world to be
reached by a steam locomotive.[118] The MumbaiPune Deccan Queen has the oldest running
dining car in IR.
Vivek Express, between Dibrugarh and Kanyakumari, has the longest run in terms of distance
and time on Indian Railways network. It covers 4,286 km (2,663 mi) in about 82 hours and 30
minutes.
12049/12050 Hazrat Nizamuddin - Agra Cantt. Gatimaan Express is the fastest train of India
having a maximum speed of 160 km/h and average speed of 112 km/h. 12001/12002 Bhopal
Shatabdi Express was the fastest train in India having a maximum speed of 150 km/h on
the FaridabadAgra section. The fastest speed attained by any train is 208 km/h (129 mph) in
2015 during test runs.
Special Trains are those trains started by Indian Railways for any specific event or cause which
includes Jagriti Yatra trains,[119] Kumbh Mela Trains.,[120] emergency trains, etc.[121]
Double-decker AC trains have been introduced in India. The first double decker train was Pune-
Mumbai Sinhagad express plying between Pune and Mumbai[122] while the first double-decker
AC train in the Indian Railways was introduced in November 2010, running between
the Dhanbad and Howrah stations having 10 coaches and 2 power cars.[123] On 16 April 2013,
Indian Railways celebrated its 160 years of nationwide connectivity with a transportation of 23
million passengers in a day.[124]
 UNESCO world heritage sites[edit]
There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Indian Railways. The Chatrapati Shivaji
Terminus[125] and the Mountain Railways of India. The latter consists of three separate railway lines
located in different parts of India:[126]

Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in) metre gauge railway in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil
Nadu.
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a narrow gauge railway in Lesser Himalayas in West Bengal.
Kalka-Shimla Railway, a narrow gauge railway in the Siwalik Hills in Himachal Pradesh. In 2003
the railway was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for offering the steepest rise in
altitude in the space of 96 kilometer.[127]

Recruitment and Training[edit]

Main article: Centralised Training Institutes of the Indian Railways
Staff are classified into gazetted (Group 'A' and 'B') and non-gazetted (Group 'C' and 'D')
employees.[128] The recruitment of Group 'A' gazetted employees is carried out by the Union Public
Service Commission through exams conducted by it.[129] The Recruitment of Group 'B' for the
following post Section Officers,Junior Engineers,Depot Material Superintendent posts is conducted
by Railway Recruitment Board. The recruitment to Group 'C' and 'D' employees on the Indian
Railways is done through 21 Railway Recruitment Boards and Railway Recruitment Cells which are
controlled by the Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB).[130] The training of all cadres is
entrusted and shared between six centralised training institutes.
Indian Railways recruits for lower level positions like ASM, Goods Guard, Clerk, TA, CA, JE, Staff
Nurse, Group D etc. through it RRB NTPC (Railway Recruitment Board Non-Technical )
Examination. For the year 2016, the examination was conducted to recruit around 18,000
positions.[131]
The Centre for Railway Information Systems { }
(CRIS,[]) designs, develops, implements and maintains most of the important information
systems of Indian Railways. It is located in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. CRIS was established in 1986
by the Ministry of Railways of India.

Contents
[hide]

1History
2Work
3Major IR projects
4Application integration
5Timeline
6References
7External links

History[edit]
In 1982, Indian Railways (IR) set up a central organisation (COFOIS) to computerise freight
operations. In 1986 the Ministry of Railways saw the need for a dedicated, autonomous organisation
and established CRIS, an umbrella organisation for all information technology-related activities on
Indian Railways. It was entrusted with the task of designing, developing and implementing the
Freight Operations Information System (FOIS) and its communications infrastructure. CRIS began
functioning in July 1986 as an autonomous organisation headed by an Executive Director (later
redesignated Managing Director).
A unique feature of CRIS is collaboration by IT specialists and railway experts on deputation from
the Indian Railways. Systems managed by CRIS have received international recognition
from Computerworld.[1][2]
CRIS held a symposium, "IT Can Happen in Government", in New Delhi on 1 July 2010. The
symposium explored the challenges faced by government agencies in meeting their IT needs and
creating IT systems. In July 2014, a Seminar on Big Data was held, followed by a Symposium on
Smart Cities in July 2015.

Work[edit]
CRIS designs, develops, implements and maintains information systems for Indian Railways. In
addition, CRIS has developed, implemented and maintained IT systems for the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands (the A & N Ship Ticketing system). The number of projects handled by CRIS has
increased from three in 2000 to more than 40 by 2016.

Major IR projects[edit]
1. Computerisation of the Freight Operations Information System of Indian Railways: The FOIS
enables management and control of freight movement, optimised asset utilisation and the
generation of freight invoices. Many of IR's larger freight customers pay through an
electronic payment gateway interfaced with the FOIS. About 72 percent of the railway's
freight revenue is paid electronically.[3]
2. Passenger Reservation System (PRS): A nationwide online passenger reservation and
ticketing system, developed and maintained by CRIS, is developed in C and Fortran on
a Digital OpenVMS operating system using RTR (Reliable Transaction Router)
as middleware. Also known as CONCERT (Country-wide Network of Computerised
Enhanced Reservation & Ticketing), it interconnects the four regional computing systems (in
New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai) into a national PRS grid. It allows a passenger
anywhere to book train tickets from any station to any station. PRS handles reservations,
changes, cancellations and refunds, reserving over 1.6 million seats and berths daily.
Complex rules, validations and fare-computation techniques are interwoven in the
application.[4]
3. Next Generation eTicketing (NGeT): The Internet-based E-ticketing reservation system,
developed for IRCTC, that connects at the back-end to PRS.[5]
4. Computerisation of Indian Railways' Unreserved Ticketing System. Unreserved ticketing is a
major component of IRs ticket volume and an important source of revenue. UTS delivers
fast unreserved ticketing from dedicated counters, replacing manual printed-card tickets,
EFTs and BPTs with centralised online sales accounting. The architecture integrates with
handheld terminals, smart cards and vending machines.
5. [ National Train Enquiry System] for latest train running times and live train tracking.[6]
6. [ Web-enabled claims: Web-based software enables the public to file and track claims
online.[7]
7. Rail Budget Compilation System (RBCS): Developed for budgetary input from Indian
Railways zones and production units, RBCS facilitates data capture, database construction,
demand analysis and estimate pruning for the railway budget.
 1. "Case Monitoring System" the Online Peoples' Representatives Demands Monitoring and
Redressal System. Used in Parliament by MR Mukul Roy.
2. "I-Pas" aids the personnel and finance departments. It consists of two modules: Financial
Accounting System (FAS) and Payroll System (PS).
3. Workshop Information SystEm (WISE): A MIS project for railway workshops around the
country. It is in operation in 14 workshops: Kharagpur, Jagadhri, Ajmer, Kota,
Charbagh, Liluah, Kanchrapara, Matunga, Lower
Parel, Parel, Bhusawal, Secunderabad, Lallaguda and Jamalpur. WISE provides report for
workshop management using the ORACLE DBMS, and is being upgraded to an ERP-based
system.
4. Crew management: The Crew Management System (CMS) software provides real-time
railway crew information. Information includes location, status and train assignments. It also
maintains information on time off and continuing education. The software issues SMS alerts
to management and supervisors if crew levels drop below a level likely to affect train
operations. It can book crew for coach, shunting and freight service. The software supports
the safety monitoring of the crew by inspectors, monitoring crew knowledge through a quiz
administered through kiosks in crew lobbies, and provides up-to-date safety circulars.
5. Control Office Application (COA): Enables rail-traffic controllers to manage the trains running
in their section, and is operational in all division control offices. The COA interfaces with
other applications (such as NTES) to provide train information to passengers and managers.
6. E-Procurement System: Provides a secure, fair and transparent method of materials
procurement through a web-based interface. It enables suppliers to securely upload their
tenders to a central server in encrypted form, which can be decrypted only by authorised
railway officials after the tender opening. All timestamps are authenticated by the National
Physical Laboratory. The system is operational on all zonal railways and units, and has been
extended to CORE, RDSO, RailTel and the Kolkata Metro. E-Auction was launched in
March 2012, and has been adopted by All zonal railways and Production Units. A payment
gateway was implemented in January 2012 and approx 280 Crore online funds transferred
till Feb 2014 .[8]
7. Software for Locomotive Asset Management (SLAM): Under development, this system will
track and allocate electric locomotives.
8. Additional asset-management systems, such as for Diesel locomotives, freight cars, coaches
and track, are under development. An ERP-based system was implemented at the Integral
Coach Factory, Chennai, in January 2012.
9. Automatic fare-collection and passenger-control systems for Metro Railway in Kolkata using
RFID technology.
10. Freight Maintenance Management(FMM): An ERP and Java based system, developed to
cover Maintenance of Freight Rolling Stock. ERP part is used for purely maintenance jobs in
depots, whereas Java part(known as Central Application) is used for reporting purpose and
other mechanical(only freight) department related business processes by Divisional and
Zonal HQs and RB. Currently in pilot phase, successfully implemented in Dadri Wagon
Depot (NCR), Tuglakabad Wagon depot (NR) & Dhandarikalan Wagon Depot (NR). The
BPC(Brake Power Certificate) of freight trains in yards under these depots, are issued
through FMM.
11. Locoshed Maintenance Management(LMS): A Maintenance Management System for Diesel
Locos.

Application integration[edit]
Independently running applications interchange data amongst themselves. COA (Control Office
Application), which assists train controllers (despatchers) in planning and tracking the movement of
trains across the network, shares its data with applications such as NTES (by which passengers can
obtain a train's location and forecast movement). Train punctuality reports are generated through
ICMS (Integrated Coaching Management System), which also receives data from COA.
It took almost 150 years of continuous upgradations for Indian Railways to reach where they are. It
all started in 1835 at Chintadripet, near Madras, which later became the Red Hill Railroad.

Please read on to get a glance of the history of railways. (This answer mostly concentrated on
ticketing system. Go to the link provided at the end of answer for more detailed timeline)

TIMELINE OF INDIAN RAILWAYS:

On 16th Apr 1853, a train with 14 railway carriages and 400 guests left Bombay's Bori
Bunder for Thane, with a 21-gun salute. It was hauled by three locomotives: Sindh, Sultan,
and Sahib. The journey took an hour and fifteen minutes. This is the first commercial
passenger train in India.
In 1982, Indian Railways (IR) set up a central organization (COFOIS) to computerise
freight operations.
Till 1985, All tickets were issued manually and Stand-alone Computerized ticketing
and reservation was introduced in multiple phases
o In 1985 as pilot project at New Delhi
o In June 1987 at Bombay
o In July 1987 at Chennai
o In Oct 1987 at Kolkata
o In July 1989 at Secunderabad
In 1986 the Ministry of Railways established CRIS, an umbrella organisation for all
information technology-related activities on Indian Railways merging COFOIS.
In 1989, the train numbers were standardised to four digits Universal numbering.
In 1990, First Self-Printing Ticket Machine (SPTM) was introduced, at New Delhi.
In 1990, CONCERT (Country-wide Network for Computerized Enhanced Reservation &
Ticketing) developed by CRIS is a total networking solution to Indian Railways Passenger
Reservation System.
In 1993, AC 3-tier coaches & Sleeper class are introduced apart from second class.

The CONCERT software has been successfully implemented at all of the five PRS' sites
o Secunderabad in Sept. 1994
o New Delhi in Sept. 1996
o Calcutta 14th June 1998
o Mumbai on 11th Jan 1999
o Chennai on 12th April 1999
This complete network became operational on 18th April 1999. The CONCERT was developed
using client-server model for distributed computing is a total solution to the networking of the PRSs.
All the five sites have been internet-worked over a 64 kbps line using routers, on leased
communication line connections from Department of Telecom (DOT).
In 1998, Coupon Validating Machines (CVMs) introduced at Mumbai CST.
 In 1999, Credit cards accepted for booking tickets and reservations in some stations
(including Mumbai CST).
In February 2000, Indian Railways web site was deployed.
In 2001, IVRS ('Interactive Voice Response System') for telephonic enquiries about trains
introduced in some stations.
On 03 Aug 2002, Indian Railways begins online train reservations and ticketing over the
Internet.
On 01 Dec 2002, Internet ticket booking extended to more cities.
On 12 Aug 2005, IRCTC introduces E-ticketing for IR.
On 26 Aug 2005, ticketing by SMS begins from IRCTC.

In May 2014, IRCTC introduced Next Gen e-Ticketing system to upgrade it capacity.
Please read What is "Next Gen e-Ticketing" that IRCTC has introduced?. This turned me
from a complaining customer to a proud customer now.
Source: IRFCA.org

2. What are the effects of the use of technology in Indian Railways Reservation
System?

The formation of CRIS in the year 1986, to develop and implement hardware and software to gain
benefits of data engineering. One has to accept the volume of work involved in bringing information
technology projects over such as large system with large variance.

CRIS is involved in nearly 50 different projects since its inception. Some of the major projects,
their impact & timelines are discussed below

A. Passenger Reservation System:

Reserved travel by Indian Railways is facilitated by the Passenger Reservation System

(PRS) introduced in 1985-89.
PRS provides reservation services to nearly 2.2 million passengers a day on over
2500 trains running throughout the country.
The PRS Application CONCERT is the worlds largest online reservation
application.

B. Unreserved Ticketing System:

UTS started with a launch of a pilot project in 2002 at Northern Railway and today
implemented to handle almost 6000 locations and 90% of the total ticket sold
every day.
This has facilitated not only availability of ticket at all time replacing SPTM but also
management of unreserved travel data.
C. Freight Operation Information System:
The creation of CRIS is a by product of this FOIS. FOIS is a complete management module
for freight trains handling the billing and revenue collections.
Daily collection of more than 205 Cr (more than 74% of total freight) through e-
Payment from average 2000 Railway Receipts.
Monitoring and management of more than 10,000 locomotives and 2,50,000+
wagons. Monitoring of more than 3,500 freight trains on daily basis.

D. Control Office Application:

The train operation over Indian Railways is monitored and checked through a Control
office located in each Division.
With automation implemented, the controller only feeds the timings of passing a station
and charting is done automatically. All performance parameters involving
punctuality, average speed, GTKM, NTKM and PKM etc. are worked out immediately.
Online Real-time Train running information to public through National Train
Enquiry System.

E. Integrated Coach Management System:

There are about 50000 passenger coaches forming a train with assigned composition.
It has 3 subsystems: Punctuality Analysis and Monitoring (PAM), Coaching Operations
Information System (COIS), Coach Maintenance Management (CMM).

F. Crew Management System:

CMS has facilitated complete data management on system from signing on to off and all
information on click of the mouse. This involved huge networking of 10-15 crew
lobbies in each Zonal Railways.
Optimum and effective utilization, scheduling and assignment of crew through monitoring
of mandatory requirements.
Paperless Lobby Calls for booking through SMS, Caution Order, Circular, Sign
On/OFF.

G. Software Aided Train Scheduling And Network Guidance (SATSANG):

SATSANG is the software that will make the job of timetable planner very simple. The
application has features that will enable creation of conflict free paths for train
services and conflict free allocation of resources.
Planners at the Zonal level can use this application to refine their solutions and find
newer ones with greater ease. This will also help the planner one day to
segregate running of coaching and freight trains in the separate time corridor to
minimize the effect of speed differential.
Impact Analysis on the mobility of freight trains on a section whenever a new coaching
train is added never worked out. This software may help in gaining into such intricacies of
train mobility.

Source: Centre for Railway Information Systems

 10.6k Views 41 Upvotes
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do they mean?
What are the history of Indian railways?

Sandeep Rao, Strategy

Answered Aug 12, 2014
Before computerization, it was manual register entry and long queues. People had to make their
plans well in advance, go with 3-5 pre-filled forms for a journey. If one date does not work, next best
date and so on. The booking clerk would check the register and see availability, if not available the
customer asks for next best date. There were different queues for different destinations, people had
to stand in the queue where the register was being used. Sometime in 1985-88, CMC developed the
CART system based on fortran. This helped in busting the queues a little. People could stand on any
queue. Availability enquiry queues could be separated out. Still people were dependent on agents for
booking. Much recently internet based booking on IRCTC has been enabled.
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Princy Gupta, works at Institute of Management Technology Hyderabad

Answered Jun 17, 2015
When was the first train run ?

By the word run a train we mean a vehicle with motive power running on metal rails.

" The Stockholm and Darlington Railway" (1825) is recognised as the starting of railway age,
because they were the first "Railway" to use a steam locomotive and iron rails to haul a load. It was a
load of 38 carriages laden with passengers and goods ran between Stockton and Darlington. The
railway line was actually commenced in 1821, but it took 4 years to complete construction.

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Prior to this in 1801 Richard Trevithick made the steam carriage and in 1804 constructed a
locomotive to haul a 10-ton load not on the rails but on the roads.

For other countries the list is as follows:

Now let us see about India.

 The core of the pressure for building railways in India came from London in 1840s. For a century
thereafter the basic policies and ultimate management of the Indian Railways were issued from
London. The British built railways in India in order to intermesh the economies of the two countries.
The building of railways in India brought about unintended as well as hoped for consequences in
economic, political and military front. The new railways tied the the different parts of India together
more closely than ever before.

Some mention should be made of the role of Indian businessmen played in the early years. There
were Indian merchants , both in Calcutta and Bombay who took an interest in founding of the
railways. The most prominent of these was a remarkable Bengali merchant Prince Dwarkanath
Tagore , grandfather of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore. Dwarkanath's firm Carr, Tagore &
Company, is reported to have offered in 1844, to raise one-third of the capital required for a railway
from Calcutta northwest to the coalfields above Burdwan. After Dwarkanath's premature death a few
tears later the other Indian businessmen played only a passive role. The conception, promotion and
launching of India's railways were all British. ( Daniel Thorner 1955)

The Railway Age dawned in India on 16th. April 1853, when the first train ran from Bombay to
Thana, a distance of 21 miles(33.81 Km.) For some years before that the idea of building railways in
India had taken concrete shape with the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London.
The East India Company had obtained a foothold in India as a trading company, but gradually lost
most of its privileges it had enjoyed as an instrument of commerce. It had , however been made
responsible for the governance of India under the supervision of a Court of Directors in London. The
final authority lay , of course , with the British Cabinet, who acted on the advice of its special Board
of \control for Indian Affairs. There was a Governor General at Fort William in Calcutta, having
superintending authority over the administration of India.
The first proposals for construction of railways in India were presented in 1844 to East India
Company in London by, (a) East Indian Railway Company headed by R.McDonald Stephenson, and
(b) Great Indian Peninsula Railway Company.

George Stephenson the great British Locomotive inventor was one the first Directors of GIPR and
his son Robert Stephenson was appointed as the consulting engineer based at London.

Both E.I.R. and G.I.P.R were incorporated in England for the purpose of constructing railway
lines in Calcutta and Bombay presidencies respectively. Though GIPR company was formed in 1844.
George Stephenson could not see his Locomotives run on Indian soil as he died in 1848.

Lord Hardinge was the Governor General of India at this point of time. He considered the
proposals from political, military and commercial point of view and thought that Court Of Directors
of East India Company should liberally give assistance to private capitalists, willing to make railways
in India , without waiting for proof that the construction of railways in India should yield reasonable
profit. The Court of Directors in their suggestion that the first attempt should be made on a limited
scale due to some difficulties, deliberated as under.

The development of railways in India started on all sides after successful initial projects in the west
and the east.

West : On 16th April, 1853 the first railway on Indian sub-continent ran over a stretch of 21 miles
from Bombay to Thane . The idea of a railway to connect Bombay with Thane, Kalyan and with the
Thal and Bhore Ghats inclineFirst train run in Bombay first occurred to Mr. George Clark, the Chief
Engineer of the Bombay Government, during a visit to Bhandup in 1843.The first Indian train
steamed off from Bombay(Bori Bunder) to Thane on 16th. April 1853, at 3:30 P.M. "amidst the loud
applause of a vast multitude and to the salute of 21 guns." The train consisting of 14 carriages was
hauled by three locomotives named Sultan, Sindh and Sahib with 400 VVIPs The formal
inauguration ceremony was performed on 16th April 1853, when 14 railway carriages carrying about
400 guests left Bori Bunder at 3.35 PM.

In the East :

The Survey from Calcutta to Delhi was carried out by Mr. Stephenson during 1845-46. The
construction of railway line from Howrah to Raniganj was sanctioned only after 3 years. But by the
end of 1853 61 kms. of line was ready upto Pandooah. Two historical incidents denied EIR , the first
position in history of railways in India.. The Locomotive Engine and the carriages for both the trains
of Bombay and Howrah were despatched from England almost at the same time, but the ship
carrying the loco for E.I.R. (HMS Goodwin) was misdirected to Australia and the other carrying the
carriages for Howrah sank at Sandheads. Otherwise Howrah would have had the legacy of running
the first train in India. The Locomotive Engine and the carriages for both the trains of Bombay and
Howrah were despatched from England almost at the same time, but the ship carrying the loco for
E.I.R. (HMS Goodwin) was misdirected to Australia and carriages for Howrah sank at Sandheads.
The other problem faced was that the line was aligned through Chandernagore (Chandannagar)
which was a French territory at that time. The settlement of this dispute with french rulers of
Chandernagore also took considerable time. The Locomotive reached Calcutta via Australia and a
trial run was made on 28th. June 1854. The coaches for the first train was however manufactured by
two Calcutta based companies Steward & Company and Seton & Company. Otherwise Howrah would
have had the legacy of running the first train in India.
The first passenger train steamed out of Howrah station destined for Hooghly, (click) a
distance of 24 miles, on 15th August, 1854. Thus the first section of the East Indian Railway was
opened to public traffic, inaugurating the beginning of railway transport on the Eastern side of the
sub-continent.

From 15th August 1854, the company ran regular services, morning and evening, between
Howrah and Hugli with stops at Bally, Srerampore and Chandannagar. The fare ranged from Rs.3 by
first class to 7 annas by third class. The main booking office was on the Calcutta bank, at the
Armenian Ghat, and the fare covered the ferry to the station. At the Howrah end, the station
consisted of a tin shed and a single line flanked by narrow platforms, somewhat to the south of the
present station building constructed between 1901 and 1906.

In the South the first line was opened on Ist July, 1856 by the Madras Railway Company. It ran
between Veyasarpandy and Walajah Road (Arcot), a distance of 63 miles. the first line was opened on
Ist July, 1856 by the Madras Railway Company. It ran between Veyasarpandy and Walajah Road
(Arcot), a distance of 63 miles.

In the North a length of 119 miles of line was laid from Allahabad to Kanpur on 3rd March 1859.
The first section from Hathras Road to Mathura Cantonment was opened to traffic on 19th October,
1875.

The first locomotive built in India : The F-734 built in 1895 by the Ajmer workshop of the
Rajputana Malwa Railway. Earlier some locomotives were assembled using spares supplied with
fully assembled locomotives which were imported. This locomotive with outside connecting and side
rods was used on Rajputana Malwa & Bombay Baroda & Central India Railway systems.

These were the small beginnings which is due course developed into a network of railway lines
all over the country. By 1880 the Indian Railway system had a route mileage of about 9000 miles.
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Alka Rai, works at Self-Employment
Answered Aug 1, 2016

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