Indian Railways (IR) is one of the largest rail networks in the world. It is a public enterprise whose owning and operations rest with Ministry of Railways, the Government of India. Every day it ferries over 23 million passengers across 7000 stations.
Proper information is vital to the coordination of such a large network. The organization of the railways is as follows: The railways are divided into 17 zones and 68 divisions. Every zone is helmed by a general manager and every station by the station master.
The IR covers a track of 115,000 km. Trains are classified as per their average speed. A fast train moves with fewer stops and is, usually, a long distance train.
The various trains in the Indian Railways are:
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Duronto Express: Introduced in 2009, these are non-stop point to point services. They connect the major capitals of states and metros and beat the Rajdhani Express in speed. They include first tier AC (Air conditioned), 2-tier AC and 3-tier AC. Some include non-AC sleeper class.
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Rajdhani Express: These are trains connecting Delhi to major cities and are fully air conditioned. They are high priority trains with some of the fastest speeds (130 km/ hour). They stop at few stations.
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AC Express: Trains connecting major stations of the country. They have few stops and high speeds.
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Shatabdi Express: They are fully air conditioned inter- city trains for daily commute. They have executive seats and ordinary seats. Some have 3 tier berths and the trains are some of the fastest in the IR network.
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Garib Rath Trains: They are air conditioned, basic facility trains with 3 AC berths and economy seats.
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Jan Shatabdi: More affordable versions of Jan Shatabdis having AC and non AC carriages.
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Intercity Super Fats: As name suggests, they are high speed trains for which extra surcharge is levied with the fare.
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Express: Most common trains in India having frequent stops.
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Passenger: These stop at all stations and are the least expensive trains. They have sleeper class, as well as 3-tier AC.
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Suburban Trains: These trains operate between major cities and have unreserved seating arrangement.
- Metro: Meant only for city transport.
IR is the best way to experience India. Contrary to reputation, many trains afford comfortable travel via AC1, AC 2 tier and AC 3 tier. All seats on such trains have reservations system, so they are a comfortable, civilized and cheap way to roam India.
Such a huge and varied network requires prompt and accurate dissemination of information. Indian Railway information is available nowadays through many sources. The main source is the publication-‘Trains at a Glance’ by Indian Railways. Other than this, there are many online sources for Indian Railway Train Information.
The main site is the Indian railways website www.indianrail.gov.in. It provides the following information:
- Train availability at main stations
- Schedule of reserved trains
- Enquiry stem of National trains
- SMS service
- Availability of current booking
- Catering charges
- Availability of train berth
- Information on train type
- Rules
- Viewing of codes
- Trains at a glance
- Tatkal Scheme
- Service for international tourists
- Connect to other railway websites.
Some other Major Services Provided by this Site are:
- PNR status
- Fare enquiry
- Internet reservation
- Reserved train between important stations
- Seat availability
There is also the National Train Enquiry System: www.enquiry.indianrail.gov.in/ntes/.
It provides train information Indian Railway like:
- Spot your train
- Live station
- Trains between stations
- Schedule of trains
- Cancelled trains
- Rescheduled trains
- Diverted trains.
- PNR enquiry
- Berth/seat availability
- Berth/seat booking.
Other sites where Railway information India is available are:
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www.indiarailinfo.com: With easy login, the site shows arrival/departure at your nearest stations, ascertains PNR status, gets information on train type and features an atlas with maps of the IR network.
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www.seat61.com/India.htm: It provides maps of train routes, check train timing and fares, booking of tickets, online purchase of tickets, buying and utilizing Ind-Rail pass, tour packages including train journey, booking of tourist trains like Palace on Wheels, guidebooks, and hotel information.
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IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation): Key in PNR number, train name and number and get feedback on PNR status, locate train, find live running status, arrival/departure etc. It also has services like information on tour packages, special trains, holiday trains, tourist trains, booking for retiring room, etc.
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www.makemytrip.com/railways/indian-railways.html: Enter whether one way or two way trip, dates and place (from/to).
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www.rail.yuplee.in: It features train timetable, train enquiry (Search by train/station), PNR status, train schedule, train list.
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www.runningstatus.in: Feed in the train number and get live running status.
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CRIS: CRIS is an independent organization under the Ministry of Railways. They are the Information Technology arm of the IR. Their website www.cris.org.in/CRIS/Home/Home features latest information on IR network.
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TravelKhana.com: A portal mainly devoted to the delivery of food to train passengers, it has now diversified into umbrella service of ticket booking, PNR status checking, live tracking of train position, etc. Search your train by providing number or name. Choose a station from the drop down list, click on departure or arrival, and get the feedback of accurate position of the train on the map. One can do auto tracking of movement of the train. The status of train is updated every five minutes, so you must key in details each time, freshly. You can utilize this information whether you are on the train for waiting at the platform to receive someone.
These are just a sample of the services for getting access to information on IR network and its related aspects.