Train being the most popular way to connect from one place to the other has been used by us least more than once.  In the past few years, the Indian Railways have improved their service a lot. Owing to lesser cost of fares, cleaner toilets, availability of charging points and private food delivery portals providing hygienic train food service, many people prefer this mode of transport. Associated with the Indian railways are many facts that will make for an interesting read. Hold your breath!

1 . Speediest and Slowest Train –

At an average speed of 90 kmph and a whopping high speed of 150kmph, The New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express barrels faster than light! The Nilgiri Express is the certified slowest train with a speed of 10kmph only!

2 . The Longest and Shortest Distance –

Covering a vast distance of 4,275 km, the Vivek Express carries passengers from Dibrugarh in the East to Kanyakumari in the South, the longest distance in terms of the total time. On the other hand, train services are provided from the station of Nagpur to its neighbor Ajni, located at a distance of just 3km.

3 . Train with Most Halts –
115 stations in between, the Howrah-Amritsar Express is known for its maximum halts.

4 .Two Destinations with a Common Location –

Belapur and Srirampur are two individual stations in the Ahmednagar district of Maharahtra, sharing a common location on the rail route, each on one side of the platform.

5. Most Unreliable Train –

Indian Railways, like its passengers is often late to work! The Guwahati-Trivandrum Express, however, has become notorious for being the least punctual one. 10-13 hours are delayed at every trip when the scheduled hours of the journey are already 65!

6. The Toughest and Easiest Station to Pronounce –
 Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta that runs on the Arakkonam-Renigunta route of Tamil Nadu holds the record for the station with the longest name. Ib, close to Jharsuguda and Od, in Gujarat hold the distinction for the shortest names.

7. India’s Oldest Loco –
The oldest functioning locomotive of the country is Fairy Queen, started in the year 1885. It also holds the record for being the oldest working steam engine globally.

8. Tunnel Track –
Pir Panjal tunnel, having a great length of 11.220 km is the longest tunnel in the county.  Its construction was finally finished in the December of 2012 in Jammu & Kashmir.

9. The origin of Toilets –

In 1909, Okhil Babu, a commoner who once traveled by a train without toilets, wrote a letter to the Indian Railways about the ordeals he encountered due to absence of toilets. This triggered the introduction of toilets in every train.

10. World’s Longest Platform –
Yes, we also hold the record for having the world’s longest railway platform in Kharagpur, West Bengal. It measures 2,733 ft.

11. The Most Busy Station –
Lucknow, where 64 trains depart daily.

12. Employment –
Another fact of pride, Indian Railways comes ninth on the list of world’s largest employer. It has over 1.4 million employees. Also, it is India’s largest employer.

13. Worst Train Accident –
Dated on June 6, 1981, a passenger train between Saharsa and Mansi was derailed and dived into the Bagmati River. Over 800 people died while hundreds went missing.

So, the next time you travel by train, share these facts with your co passengers!