The first train on Indian soil ran between Bombay to thane on the 16th of April, 1853

IR employs about 1.6 million people

IR carries over 13 million passengers & 1.2 million tonnes of freight every day

IR runs about 12,000 trains daily

IR has nearly 8,000 Railway stations

The longest journey on the IR is from Jammu Tawi to Kanyakumari, a distance of about 3,751 kms. covered by Himsagar Express in about 70 hrs.

The longest railway platform in the world is at kharagpur & is 2,733 ft. in length.

NEHRU SETU on river Sone is the longest railway bridge

The longest tunnel is on Konkan Railway which is 6.5 km in length.

Kolkatta METRO is the 1st and only underground railway system in India

Computerised Reservation System started at Delhi in 1986.

IR's first electric train ran on 3rd February, 1925 between Bombay VT - Kurla

Toilets on trains were introduced in 1891 in 1st class & in 1907 in lower classes.

42 railway companies operated in the country before independence.

IR is presently divided into 16 Zonal Railways.

Fairy Queen (1855) is the oldest preserved locomotive in working order.

The manufacture of steam locomotives in country stopped in 1972.

Diesels locomotives are manufactured at DLW, Varanasi

Electric locomotives are manufactured at CLW, Chittaranjan.

Coaches are manufactured at ICF/Madras, RCF/Kapurthala & BEML/Bangalore.

IR's fastest train is the Bhopal Shatabdi which runs at a speed upto 140 kmph.

Ist AC, 2nd AC, 3rd AC, AC Exec. Chair Car, AC Chair Car, First Class, IInd Sleeper & IInd ordinary are the various classes of travel on the IR.

IR's only Rack & Pinion system type of line is from Mettupalaiyam to Coonoor.

The National Rail Museum at New Delhi was set up in 1977.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has been bestowed the status of a 'World Heritage Site'.

The total distance covered by the 12 thousand trains on the INDIAN RAILWAYS every day, equals three & a half time the distance to moon.   

The second largest railway network in the world and the largest civilian organisation under a single management.