Indian Railways is the life line of the country and back bone of Indian economy. It plays the most pivotal role in the growth and development of country. From a modest beginning in 1853 when the first railway on Indian sub-continent ran over a stretch of 21 miles from Bombay to Thane, today the Indian Railways has emerged as the main factor for the socio-economic development of the nation.
In the last year Indian Railways added numbers of mile stone achievements in various categories including freight loading, electrification, New Line/ Doubling/ Gauge Conversion, Loco production and also the integration of technology for ensuring safety.
Indian Railways, the premier transport organization of the country is the largest rail network in Asia and the world’s second largest entity functioning under one management. At present, Indian Railways the life line of country has its presence in almost all the nook and corners of India. It is the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, and its network spans over a total length of 1,27,760 kilometers. It operates more than 13,452 passenger trains daily, on both long-distance and suburban routes, covering over 7,349 stations across the country. It is one of the busiest networks in the world, transporting over 8.086 billion passengers and 1418.10 million tonnes of freight annually.
During the Financial Year- 2021-22, Indian Railways (IR) achieved milestones in various categories including freight loading, electrification, New Line/ Doubling/ Gauge Conversion, Loco production and also the integration of technology for ensuring safety of passengers. Indian Railways achieved record loading of 1418.10 MT during the financial year 2021-22. This is the highest ever loading for IR in a Financial Year. It has achieved record electrification of 6,366 RKMs in IR history during 2021-22. In New Line/ Doubling/ Gauge Conversion, 2904 km was achieved against target of 2400 Km. Highest ever Electric Loco Production & induction of 1,110 Locos (965 by Rly Pus + 35 BHEL + 110 Madhepura) was achieved in FY 2021-22. Also, highest ever Scrap Sale achieved Rs 5316.1 Cr. Total Panel/ Electronic Interlocking of Stations achieved at 444 locations and Kavach commsisioned at 850 Rkm.
Indian Railways commissioned CCTV at 840 stations and wi-fi at a total of 6089 stations while 47 and 120 stations covered during this year. New user friendly freight and passenger business segment related website started. online and unified vendor approval system unified vendor approval module (UVAM) has also been started.
Indian Railways ran more than 899 oxygen express trains and carried 36,840 tonnes of liquid oxygen to the 15 states. Oxygen express train also delivered oxygen for Bangladesh.
Ministry of Railways is exploring various possibilities to develop Railway Stations under different models including Public Private Partnership (PPP) model amongst others. Safety has remained top most priority for Indian Railways and consistent efforts in this sector have yielded in the development of Kavach system indigenously. This Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System ensures enhancing safety of running trains. At present Kavach roll out is planned on New Delhi-Howrah and New Delhi – Mumbai section which is targeted to complete by Mar’2024.
Indian Railways have prepared a National Rail Plan (NRP) for India – 2030. The Plan is to create a ‘future ready’ Railway system by 2030. This plan is aimed to formulate strategies based on both operational capacities and commercial policy initiatives to increase share of the Railways. The objective of the Plan is to create capacity ahead of demand, which in turn would also cater to future growth in demand right up to 2050.
Indian Railways is committed to provide the last mile connectivity and better amenities to its esteemed passengers. Indian Railways also aims to make itself more efficient, greener and modern while turning it into the most safe and affordable mode of transportation for the common man both in passenger or freight segment.
