Indian Railways - A Massive Exercise in Operations
- Arpit Shah
- Dec 31, 2021
- 25 min read
Updated: Dec 12, 2025
Background
A majority of my posts on this professional website as of today (31st December 2021) focus on GIS and Location Analytics. The scope of Mapping is enormous, the Real-world Applications are diverse, and Remote Sensing by itself is a deeply engaging field. That said, I felt the need to write more on the Ops side of Mapmyops—on Operations. I firmly believe that organizations unlock significant day-to-day value only when they become operationally savvier, a principle that holds particularly true for Indian-origin businesses striving to be globally competitive.
My final post of 2021 focuses on 21 operational aspects that make our beloved Indian Railways tick. Indian Railways is a giant not only in terms of scale (the 4th largest rail network globally and the largest employer and property owner in the country) but also as an emblem of India’s difficult past and promising future. Public transit has always been close to my heart, but no mode captures my imagination like Railways. Within just a couple of hours on a bustling chhuk-chhuk gaadi—the nostalgic sound of steam locomotives—you can encounter entirely new cultures, cuisines, landscapes, and languages.
Having recently completed the fascinating Khan GS Research Centre playlist on Indian Railways, I felt compelled to highlight how—despite frequent criticism about delays or service issues—Indian Railways is, in reality, a massive and complex operational system where numerous moving pieces must synchronize perfectly to deliver safe and reliable journeys. Increasing awareness about these behind-the-scenes operations, and about the significant modernization projects now underway, is the motivation behind this post.
While I have loosely structured the narrative (as shown below), I recommend reading the 21 operational aspects sequentially.
Section Hyperlinks
1. Understanding the Naming System of Locomotives
What do the alphanumeric characters on the locomotive in Figure 1 represent?
WDG stands for Wide Gauge, Diesel-operated, Goods train.The number 4 denotes the 4th Generation locomotive in its class and is sometimes indicative of a 4000 HP engine. If a letter is appended at the end—say 4D—it would imply a 4400 HP locomotive (D being the 4th letter of the alphabet → 4 × 100 = 400). Likewise, 4F would imply 4600 HP, and so on.
However, this horsepower notation does not apply uniformly across locomotive classes. For example, the latest generation of locomotives manufactured by Indian Railways as of 2021—the WAG-12B—has a power output of 12,000 HP, not 12,200 HP. The WAG-12B is a Made-in-India upgrade to the imported WAG-12A, built by the French multinational Alstom at the Electric Locomotive Factory in Madhepura, Bihar.
The second set of 5 digits—12706 in Figure 1—is the serial number of the locomotive. Earlier, this number followed a predictable method of assignment, but it no longer does. Even so, the number remains linked to the depot where the locomotive is based; locomotives must return to their assigned depots for scheduled maintenance.
Indian Railways uses both Diesel and AC variants across four broad locomotive types operating on Broad Gauge:
Along with Passenger and Goods locomotives, a third category—Shunting locomotives—handles activities like attachment, detachment, sequencing, and yard movements. Shunting typically occurs within stations or railway yards.
2. Understanding the Naming System of Rakes
A railcar of a Passenger train is called a Coach, and its naming system typically contains five digits. The first two digits (prefix) denote the year of manufacture—04 stands for 2004. In some cases, it may represent the year of rebuilding or the year the coach was transferred to a particular zone.
In Figure 3, the suffix 052 falls within the 1–200 range, which corresponds to Air-Conditioned Coaches, the highest class of passenger rakes. “WCR” indicates that the coach belongs to the West Central Railway Zone.
The suffix 296 (range 201–400) denotes a Sleeper Coach.
The suffix 437 (range 401–600) denotes a General Class Coach. The prefix indicates that it was built in 2008.
Additional rake classes include:
601-700 for Chair Car Coaches,
701-800 for Seating cum Luggage Coaches 800+ for Pantry Car or Mail Service or Generator Van class of Coaches.
Interesting, isn't it?
Next, consider the naming system for Freight Wagons—rakes pulled by goods locomotives.
BCN = Box Covered, Pneumatic Brakes.
Used for commodities requiring protection from weather and pilferage (food grains, cement, etc.).
BOXN = Box Open, Pneumatic Brakes.
Used for low-value commodities not impacted by open-air exposure (sand, stone, coal, etc.).
BTPN = Box Tank for Petrol, Pneumatic Brakes.
Used for fuels, chemicals, and perishable liquids.
Other common freight wagon classes include:
BOB: Bogie Open Bottom Wagons - used to deposit ballast on side of tracks
BLC: Bogie Low Platform Container Wagons - used to transport shipping containers
BRN: Bogie Open Flat Wagons - used to transport military equipment
Ro-Ro: Roll on - Roll off Wagons - used to transport vehicles
NMG - New Modified Wagons - old Passenger Coaches repurposed into covered Wagons (BCN type).
3. Understanding some of the Indicators used for Train Safety
The Alarm Chain Pulling (ACP) light on the exterior of a coach is meant to alert the train staff and Government Railway Police (GRP). It identifies exactly which coach triggered the alarm so that they can respond quickly.
2. Sandbox - Mounted under the locomotive, this device stores sand and releases it onto wet or slippery tracks when activated. The sand increases friction and prevents wheel slips or wheel slides. These are influenced by adhesive Weight (the weight on the wheels), which in turn depends on factors like locomotive weight, haulage load, and power output.
3. 27-Pin Control Cable: Multiple locomotives are often used on steep gradients or with heavy loads.
The 27-pin jumper cable enables the lead loco-pilot to control trailing locomotives directly—removing the need for an additional pilot and ensuring synchronized traction and braking.
4. Undercarriage Examiner with HD Cameras: Traditionally, staff inspect the undercarriage using hand-held torches as the train arrives. Indian Railways is now transitioning to automated HD camera systems that scan the undercarriage in real time, providing more accurate diagnostics to improve safety.
5. Flasher Light (yellow light in Figure 13) This light blinks 35–45 times per minute and warns approaching train crews of an emergency or low-visibility condition (e.g., dense fog). It is visible from up to two kilometres away.
6. Marker Lights (white lights in Figure 13) are used to indicate train direction:
White = train moving forward
Red = train moving in reverse
Marker lights are displayed at both the front and rear of the rake.
4. OHE Pole Signage
Despite all the automation available today, reliance on human intelligence will never disappear. Consider the signage on the OHE pole (which supports the overhead electric equipment) in Figure 14—something you have likely seen many times without knowing its purpose.
The number 388 indicates the kilometre mark from the nearest major city on the main line (or from the nearest main line if you are travelling on a branch line).
The number 6 represents the pole count within that kilometre. Since OHE poles are spaced roughly 50 metres apart, there are about 20 poles per kilometre. Therefore, pole “6” is approximately 300 metres into that kilometre segment. The neon numbering enables visibility at night or during fog.
Pole numbers serve two key purposes:
They allow loco-pilots, railway staff, or passengers to report the exact location of an accident, obstruction, fallen item, track damage, or any emergency to authorities such as the GRP.
Loco-pilots receive Caution Lists before their journey, which specify the pole numbers where maintenance work is ongoing. These help them maintain the required vigilance across sensitive sections.
5. Freight Trains aren't longer than Passenger Trains!
Many of us, after countless window-seat journeys watching endless freight rakes roll by, assume freight trains are far longer. I was surprised to learn that both freight and passenger trains are capped at ~650 metres in length.
The logic is simple: the train length cannot exceed platform length, and most platforms (especially those on loop lines) are capped at 650–750 metres, a legacy of British-era design..
While a few stations—like Kharagpur and Gorakhpur (among the longest in the world)—are exceptions due to unique spatial constraints, Indian Railways cannot run longer trains unless all major stations on a route extend their platforms.
This is why, during peak season, the only practical solution is to increase the number/frequency of trains, not the number of coaches—most are already at the maximum permissible length.
A welcome change is now underway: loop lines across the network are being lengthened to accommodate longer freight rakes.
So why do freight trains appear much longer?
One of the reasons could be simply arithmetical -
A Freight Wagon:
BOXN → ~10 m
BCN → ~15 m
A Passenger Coach (LHB) → ~24 m
Passenger trains on busy routes often have 22–24 coaches, while freight trains easily have 55–65 wagons. More units create the illusion of greater length.
The other reason is human perception -
Freight trains move slowly (averaging ~24 km/hour) compared to passenger trains (~50 km/hour).
A slow-moving, many-wagon train simply takes much longer to pass you, strengthening the illusion of excessive length.
Incredible, isn't it?
6. General Order of Precedence of Trains
You may have wondered:
Why was the train behind mine allowed to pass first?
Why do certain trains always get delayed?
There are several factors that cause train delays - equipment failures, weather, line congestion, vandalism, cattle run-overs, accidents, and more. Scheduling and crisis response are handled by Railway Control Centres—highly confidential operational hubs (you can sneak a peek here). Besides scheduling, rapid response to situations is one of its key functions.
When delays cause multiple trains to converge on the same time slot, Indian Railways follows a General Order of Precedence, from highest to lowest priority:
Onward Accident Relief trains carrying medical equipment and relief goods to disaster sites
President and VVIP Special trains transporting government dignitaries and state guests
Rush-hour Commuter/Suburban trains transporting daily travellers to work
Super-fast Express trains - these passenger trains have high average speeds and typically operate on long routes. Preferential protocols exists for sub-classes in this category as well: Rajdhani → Shatabdi → Duronto → Tejas → Garib Rath → Double Decker → Jan-Shatabdi Express
Express and Mail trains - these have lower average speeds than super-fast express
Military Personnel Special trains carrying armed forces to and from their posting location
Fast Passenger trains - these typically operate on medium distance routes and with less halts
Festival Special trains - these operate during holiday season on popular routes
Passenger trains - these operate on short to medium distance routes and halt at all stations
Mixed Trains - which have both, passenger coaches and freight wagons attached
Military Stores Special transporting equipment for the armed forces
Express and Special Goods trains with less stops and/or are carrying perishable/expensive goods
All other types of Freight trains
Returning Accident Relief trains
Shunting locomotives which help in moving passenger/freight rakes at railways stations/yards
Departmental trains which transport railway maintenance workers, equipment and workshops
Would you like to shuffle this order in any way?
Indian Railways is divided into 16 geographic zones (2021), each with its own headquarters. A train is assigned to a zone based on the origin or destination of its route. For example, the 12859/12860 Gitanjali Express (Mumbai–Kolkata) belongs to the South Eastern Railway (SER). “Up” and “Down” denote movement towards or away from the Zonal/Divisional HQ respectively.
Like many public-sector entities, internal politics exists too—trains belonging to the native zone often receive preferential routing during conflicts.
7. Why Passenger trains typically halt for 20 minutes at major stations
Beyond passenger flow, trains must perform technical tasks during scheduled halts—maintenance checks, cleaning, pantry restocking, attaching/detaching locomotives, etc.
One major operational constraint is Watering.
Trains carry up to 1,800 litres of water per coach for washrooms and pantry use. The water pipe is inserted into the Side-filling point (Figure 17), and refilling to full capacity takes ~20 minutes.
However, long halts cause congestion—major stations rarely have space to build new platforms. The only solution is to process trains faster.
Indian Railways now aims to reduce maximum halt time to 10 minutes, and the biggest bottleneck—watering—is being overhauled via the Quick Watering System (QWS).
QWS cuts refill time from 20 minutes to ~5 by:
increasing pipe diameter from 4 to 6 inches
using more powerful 40 HP pumps
automating flow control using SCADA
Additionally, long-distance trains must now compulsorily refill every 300–400 km, easing load on major stations and improving passenger comfort.
8. Electricity & Trains - A friend in need is a friend indeed
Electrical systems are foundational to reliable railway operations. Some interesting facts:
All locomotives ultimately run on electricity.
Electric locos draw power from the Over Head Electrical Equipment (OHE).
Diesel locos burn fuel to power an alternator, which then produces electricity for the traction motors.
As of March 2021, India has electrified ~46,000 km (71%) of its Broad Gauge network.
Diesel will still remain relevant in border regions (where OHE is vulnerable to sabotage) and for shunting operations (frequent track switching can stress OHE systems).
Legacy ICF coaches generated their own electricity via dynamos attached to each coach. LHB coaches draw power from a Generator Van.Indian Railways now plans to replace these vans using Head-On Generation (HOG)—drawing power directly from the locomotive through the OHE.
Cost via Generator Vans → ₹36 per unit
Cost via HOG → ₹6 per unit
Estimated annual savings → ₹1,400 crore
Only one generator van will be retained per train for emergencies.
To prevent theft of electrical fixtures, IR shifted coach internal power to 110V DC—useless for residential use (220V AC). Theft dropped drastically.
To prevent OHE wire snapping due to temperature-induced contraction/expansion, a 3-Pulley Auto-Tensioning Device (ATD) weighing 2,400 kgs maintains a constant 1,000 kg tension on both the catenary and messenger wires.
Indigenous Pantographs transfer power from OHE to locomotive. They include several innovations - know more through this video.
9. Always-on Braking System
In a bicycle, brakes apply when the rider squeezes the lever. In trains, the principle is inverted.
Train brake pads are always pressed against the wheels by default. To move the train, the loco-pilot must divert compressed air away from the brake cylinders into the brake pipe, releasing the brake pads.
This fail-safe design ensures that if air pressure is lost due to leakage or malfunction, the train automatically stops—preventing runaway incidents.
Smart, isn't it? The last thing you'd want is for a train's brakes to fail and for it to hurtle towards a catastrophe. This system is not without limitations, though.
10. Passenger Amenities at Railway Station
Just as a dining experience is shaped by more than just food, a rail journey is shaped by the station environment—cleanliness, lighting, waiting spaces, signage, toilets, drinking water, shade, and safety.
Over the past year, several revamped stations—such as Bhopal’s Rani Kamlapati and Gandhinagar—have been inaugurated. They offer airport-like ambience with lounges, eateries, digital signage, and modern facilities.
If your local station is Amritsar, Bengaluru (Baiyyappanahalli), Chandigarh, Delhi (Anand Vihar / Bijwasan), Gwalior, Jaipur (Gandhi Nagar), Kanpur, Mumbai (Thakurli), Nagpur, Sabarmati, Shivaji Nagar or Surat—you have reason to cheer: these are next in line for redevelopment under the PPP model.
Whether a station qualifies for redevelopment depends on:
age and condition
passenger volumes
revenue
special significance (religious/tourist)
availability of funds at the Zone/Division
Indian Railways maintains a station categorisation framework (provisional checklist) that defines Minimum Essential, Recommended, and Desirable amenities:
Based on the category of the railway station, it is entitled to receive certain Minimum Essential amenities.
For example, close to 2/3rds (~ 6000) of the total Railway Stations in India fall in Non-Suburban category and the Minimum Essential amenities for this category constitutes:
The Recommended amenities include facilities such as extra drinking water taps, larger waiting halls, mobile charging points and nursing cubicles whereas the Desirable amenities include facilities such as retiring rooms, ATMs, bookstalls, taxi service and wireless internet. While zones retain discretion, decisions are guided by metrics such as peak passenger load per half-hour and train throughput per half-hour.
While I am unsure whether passengers have a formal grievance mechanism for missing essential amenities, it is mandatory for stations to publicly display the lists of Minimum Essential, Available, and Other amenities at the Station Manager’s office.
11. In-Train Innovations Example 1 - Twin BOBO Bogies
Freight locomotives on the upcoming Dedicated Freight Corridors must haul double-stacked containers on longer, heavier trains—up to 10,000 tonnes in a single haul. For context, the existing WAG-class locomotives on the conventional network typically haul ~3,900 tonnes. Such a steep jump in load is far beyond the structural capability of current locomotives and would increase derailment risk.
Has Indian Railways figured out a solution? Yes. Here's how.
This is a Wheel Set - 2 wheels connected by an axle.
A bogie (locomotive undercarriage) with 2 axles / 4 wheels is called a Bo.
A Bo-Bo locomotive therefore uses two Bo bogies—one at each end—giving it 4 axles / 8 wheels in total.
A bogie with 3 axles / 6 wheels is called a Co. So a Co-Co locomotive uses two Co bogies, for 6 axles / 12 wheels.
The lighter Bo-Bo locomotives are used to haul Passenger trains which need to travel at high average speeds whereas Co-Co locomotives are better-suited to haul the heavy load of Freight trains, albeit slowly. In the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) however, as I had stated earlier, the emphasis is to improve both - the haulage capacity (>2x) as well as the average speeds (>3x). This necessitated the development of the Twin Bo-Bo configuration:
one Bo-Bo unit at the front,
another Bo-Bo unit at the rear,
→ 8 axles / 16 wheels→ 22.5-tonne axle load→ safe haulage of extremely heavy freight at higher speeds. This twin arrangement is a mechanical breakthrough in India’s locomotive design.
Has a locomotive been built that has incorporated this Twin Bo-Bo design? Yes!
Enter the WAG-12B - the country's most advanced locomotive till-date, built in partnership with French multinational Alstom within India itself. It features:
Twin Bo-Bo configuration
12,000 HP power output
Designed for double-stack container traffic
Capable of 80+ km/h average speeds in DFCs
Know more about this remarkable engineering milestone from this video.
12. In-Train Innovations Example 2 - Bio-Toilets
What has Psychrophilic bacteria, found in the freezing environs of Antarctica, got to do with Indian Railways?
Surprisingly—everything.
Scientists at DRDE Gwalior (a DRDO lab) were working on Bio-Digesters for the Army at high-altitude bases like Siachen and Ladakh, where freezing temperatures prevent natural decomposition of waste. During a study tour to Antarctica, they identified cold-resistant psychrophilic bacteria that could anaerobically digest human waste into water, methane, and carbon dioxide.
After successful trials, scientists realized the same technology could solve a far bigger problem: open discharge of human waste from trains, which:
was unhygienic,
corroded tracks (raising maintenance costs),
and polluted the environment.
In 2010, Indian Railways announced its goal of becoming “open discharge–free.” Among several global alternatives, the Bio-Digester Toilet emerged as the most effective and economical (≈ ₹1 lakh per installation).
Real-world use revealed predictable challenges:
Passengers disposed non-biodegradable waste into toilets, clogging the system.
Suction machines were later deployed at yards to clear such waste.
Newer Bio-toilets use vacuum flush systems, similar to aircraft toilets, to reduce water usage.
As of March 2021, Indian Railways has installed ~2.5 lakh bio-toilets across ~74,000 coaches.This prevents ~2.75 lakh litres of human waste from being discharged onto the tracks every day and saves ~₹400 crore annually in track maintenance!
A genuine technological and environmental success story.
13. Dedicated Freight Corridors to transform Freight Logistics in India
The Dedicated Freight Corridor project is Indian Railways’ most ambitious initiative to date. The first phase—
Eastern DFC (Punjab → West Bengal)
Western DFC (Uttar Pradesh → Maharashtra)—
is scheduled for completion in March 2022. The DFCs will decongest the existing network and reshape freight movement across northern and western India.
Freight is the financial backbone of Indian Railways—
It contributes two-thirds of annual revenue.
Its profits subsidize roughly half of passenger ticket costs.
Yet freight trains get the lowest precedence in scheduling. Their unpredictable delays push customers toward road transport, despite higher costs. India’s freight share by rail is only ~30%, far below global benchmarks and the DFCs aim to reverse this.
The central objective of the Dedicated Freight Corridors is to transport material within 24 hours across the country. Listing some of the facts and features:
Cost of Phase 1 (Eastern + Western): ~₹1.3 lakh crore
Total length: ~3,000 km
Freight-only corridors, built beside existing lines wherever feasible
Integrated with ports—especially JNPT—to enable rapid cargo evacuation
Industrial corridors are planned alongside to reduce last-mile trucking
70% of existing freight trains will shift to DFCs → freeing capacity for passenger services
The world’s second-largest control centre has been set up at Prayagraj
Double-stacked containers hauled by WAG-12B locos
Train length increased from 650 m → 1,500 m
Freight speeds rise from 24 km/h → 80 km/h
Fully electrified → lower fuel costs and emissions
No level crossings → safer, uninterrupted movement
The DFCs will substantially lower India’s logistics costs and enhance global competitiveness. Know more through this video-
14. The switch to safer and more comfortable coaches
Indian Railways’ passenger coaches fall into two major categories:
ICF coaches (since 1955, based on Swiss tech)
LHB coaches (since 2000, based on German tech)
Production of ICF coaches was discontinued in 2018 as IR transitions entirely to LHB (and future designs) for safety and comfort.
The merits of LHB coaches over ICF can be gleaned from this table:
Personally, though, the ICF coach still feels more “authentically Indian Railways”—and often, less jerky—if only they were newer and cleaner!
15. Track Infrastructure Maintenance
Tracks require as much attention as rolling stock—perhaps more.
The COVID-19 lockdown of 2020, despite its economic toll, offered a rare opportunity to conduct heavy overdue maintenance: flaw detection, ballast cleaning, oscillation monitoring, de-stressing, and yard/bridge rehabilitation.
Indian Railways aims to fully mechanize track inspection, renewal, and maintenance by 2024.
Major investments include:
Dynamic Tamping Express (track repair and renewal)
Points and Crossing Machines (for turnout geometry correction)
Modern Camp Coaches to house and mobilize maintenance teams
These upgrades will sharply improve safety and reliability.
16. Easing the main Bottleneck - the Signalling Infrastructure
In any system, improvements must target the main bottleneck, not isolated components - with the objective to improve the overall Flow in the system.
For example, Train 18 can run at 160 km/h, but without reliable signalling, loco-pilots cannot confidently operate at such speeds. Track updates, line changes, halt signals, fog—any uncertainty becomes a reason to slow down.
In my view, the biggest bottleneck in Indian Railways is not:
average train speed,
or number of trains,
or even rolling stock.
It is the information flow—the signalling ecosystem. IR still relies heavily on manual or semi-automatic signalling and legacy interlocking systems. Buffers are therefore built into timetables to account for uncertainty. Metro Rail of India serves as the perfect contrast - its urban transit services are punctual and reliable by-and-large.
Why buffers hit productivity?
A contractor who needs 5 days for a task may promise 7 days to account for contingencies. This creates:
inefficiency,
higher cost,
underutilized manpower,
delayed availability for new work.
(Note: Buffers have their role, and one doesn't need to completely do away with them. However, excessive Buffers, particularly on important flow channels of a complex project - called Critical Path in operations terminology - results in generation of Waste - which shore up the time taken and costs, and are detrimental to efficiency.)
Similarly, excess buffers in railway operations create avoidable delays and reduce network capacity.
Instead, what could unlock Value is-
relaying accurate information on a real-time basis to the loco-pilot as well as station managers
limiting the reliance on manual decisions by integrating information-signalling with the locomotive's control system
ensuring that the loco-pilot and station managers feel more assured about safety, thereby allowing them to focus on efficiency maneuvers - such as running the train at higher speeds and releasing clearances for trains to arrive and depart at the station quicker
To my pleasant surprise, I figured that this is exactly what the Indian Railways has set out to do - it plans to invest ₹50,000+ crore over five years to modernize signalling: through these initiatives-
Electronic Interlocking System: Automates route setting and prevents conflicting movements, drastically reducing delays before stations.
Automatic Train Protection (Kavach) through Anti-Collision Device: Integrates real-time train, signal, and track data with the locomotive’s control system. If a loco-pilot misses a signal (due to fog, distraction, etc.), the system automatically slows/stops the train.
Block Signalling Modernization: Divides a line into smaller blocks so that more trains can operate safely with reduced headway.
Data Transmission through Optical Fibres: Enables high-speed, reliable communication for real-time information exchange.
Digital Axle Counters: Installed along tracks to verify that all axles/Rakes are intact between stations—reducing dependence on manual checks.
Once these systems are fully implemented—along with faster locomotives and the DFCs—Indian Railways will finally unlock massive latent capacity, improve safety, and run more passenger trains on congested routes.
17. The Manpower-intensive Operations of Indian Railways
Indian Railways is the largest employer in India, with 12.5 lakhs as of 31 March 2020. It routinely features among the Top 10 largest employers globally.
To share some related statistics (source)-
Over the last decade, total employment has declined by ~10%—from 1.40 million (2010) to 1.25 million (2020).
A striking detail is that Group C staff—supervisory and clerical roles—constitute 98.5% of the workforce. Historically, there also existed a Group D category comprising very low-skilled roles (helper, gangman, trackman, fitter, welder, porter, etc.). To streamline manpower and reflect increasing mechanization, Group D was merged into Group C and the sanctioned strength was reduced.
However, in a country where rural youth heavily depend on government and railway jobs, the move faced significant resistance and sparked protests.
Across departments, Mechanical Engineering and (Other) Engineering dominate the headcount (~22% each), followed by Transportation and Electrical (~13% each).
What stood out to me is the rise in wages: despite a reduction in total employees, the average annual wage has more than doubled in a decade, reaching ₹1.5 million per employee (Refer Figure 42 - the amount is excluding pension and gratuity).
Given that ~99% of roles are supervisory/clerical, this average figure seems unusually high. Perhaps there is more to the wage structure than meets the eye?😏
Even so, recruiting, training, deploying, and managing manpower at this scale must be a staggering administrative undertaking.
18. Remaining a Government Monopoly or increasing Privatization?
Given all the information and insights that you’ve gathered thus far, would you opt to privatize the Indian Railways and to what extent?
Here are some aspects worth considering (both for and against):
Operational & Competitive Realities
With the rollout of the Dedicated Freight Corridors and other modernization projects, the existing network will finally get the breathing room it needs. Efficiency, safety, and convenience for passengers and freight customers should improve dramatically.
Indian Railways does face genuine competition:
Road transport undercuts freight business through flexibility and aggressive logistics offerings.
Budget airlines attract middle-class AC passengers seeking faster and more predictable travel.
Economic Considerations
Passenger operations are highly loss-making (40–45%).The Railways cross-subsidize these losses using profits from freight operations.
Millions of rural youth appear for railway exams each year. The private sector—despite rapid growth—is nowhere near capable of absorbing such numbers, nor can it offer comparable job security.
International Comparisons
Japan: fully privatized
USA, South Korea, Germany: largely state-owned with significant private participation
China: fully state-owned
The spectrum is wide, and each country’s model reflects its socio-economic context.
Operational Questions to Ponder
How would scheduling priority be determined if private and public trains coexist?
How would customer segments be divided?
How would fare structures evolve?
Could private players cherry-pick profitable routes, leaving IR to shoulder the rest?
The recently launched Tejas Express, for example, operates under a PPP model where ticketing, catering, housekeeping, and parcel management are contracted to private firms while IRCTC retains oversight.
What conclusion did you reach?
See how your opinion compares to the Government of India’s stance as of today (2021):
No to Privatization. Yes to Liberalization.
The official position is to retain ownership but invite private participation selectively, particularly for:
operating premium trains,
station redevelopment,
land development,
and service-level improvements.
The idea is to segment the customer base:
Private operators can target premium travellers—especially AC passengers shifting to budget airlines—by offering better punctuality and service.
Indian Railways can continue serving the masses in Sleeper and General classes, where affordability is essential.
With private operators capturing the premium segment, IR’s burden to cross-subsidize fares may ease.
India’s future-ready railway vision (2031) also emphasizes station modernization. Leasing land parcels around stations to private developers could generate funds without imposing “development fees” on passengers—unlike the aviation sector.
19. Indian Railways' Engineering Marvels - a source of National Pride
In a recent article in The Economist news portal, writer Tom Easton reflected on how far India has come since 1853, when 10,000 inexperienced workers laboured through heat, floods, and snake-infested marshlands to build the first railway line (Bombay–Thane). Despite political wrangling, land acquisition challenges, and extreme geographic diversity, India has developed a railway network spanning every state except Meghalaya and Sikkim—in the former due to local opposition, and in the latter due to severe terrain constraints.
He singled out the Chenab Rail Bridge—an engineering triumph rising 359 metres above the riverbed, capable of withstanding winds of 266 km/h. It will finally link the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India through a formal rail route.
Reading this inspired me to explore more such feats—projects that push the limits of engineering and contribute to national connectivity, freight efficiency, and passenger comfort.
Here are a few remarkable examples:
Among ~200 rail tunnels currently underway in India, the Sohna tunnel stands apart. It is the world’s first fully-electrified rail tunnel that can accommodate double-stacked containers.
Length: 1.1 km
Cuts through the Aravalli hills
Part of the Western DFC
Freight trains will cross at 100+ km/h
The Old and New Pamban rail bridges - Connecting the holy southern island of Rameswaram to the Indian mainland, the 2 kilometers long Old Pamban railway bridge was India's first and longest sea-bridge (the Bandra-Worli Sea Link has surpassed it now). Constructed in 1914, its celebrated bascule span allowed ships to pass by lifting the mid-section. On the bridge, the train often encounters ferocious winds from the sea prompting travelers to label the experience as thrilling and dangerous.
The upcoming New Pamban Bridge (expected 2022) is a vertical-lift railway sea bridge—India’s first of its kind. Interlocked with the train control system, its lift mechanism will allow two ships to pass simultaneously and enable faster, safer train movement on a dual track.
Konkan Railway - Often described as India’s most challenging railway project, the 750 km Konkan Railway cuts through mountains, rivers, and coastal terrain across Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka. Completed in a record eight years, it features:
Complete electrification, delayed from Dec 2021 to June 2022, will boost train speeds.
Mountain railways of India - Few experiences rival the charm of narrow-gauge mountain railways—steam whistles echoing across the hills. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and Kalka–Shimla Railway - part of the Mountain railways of India - are collectively designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its “bold and ingenious engineering solutions used to create an effective rail link through rugged, mountainous terrain”. That these were constructed over a century ago is, frankly, astounding. Other historic and upcoming lines—such as the Matheran Hill Railway, Kangra Valley Railway, and the Jammu–Baramulla Railway—are part of this proud heritage.
20. IRCTC - the Customer-facing Subsidiary of Indian Railways
The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), launched in 1999, operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian Railways. Anyone who has booked a train ticket online or eaten a meal from a train pantry would know IRCTC well—it holds monopoly rights over several key customer-facing revenue streams. Unsurprisingly, the company has performed exceptionally well on the stock market.
As of today (2021), IRCTC offers a wide suite of customer-centric services:
Online Rail Ticketing: IRCTC’s web and mobile platforms process 4 lakh online tickets per day on average, making it one of the largest e-commerce platforms in India.
In-Train Catering Services: IRCTC holds exclusive rights to pantry services in trains equipped with pantry cars. Despite periodic criticism over quality and corruption, it remains the central catering authority for Indian Railways.
Online Flights, Hotels, Holiday Packages: Expanding beyond rail services, IRCTC now offers flight bookings, hotel reservations, and curated holiday packages, strengthening its presence in the broader travel and tourism ecosystem.
In-Station Hospitality and e-Catering: This includes:
IRCTC Food Plazas and Jan Aahar outlets
Rail Neer packaged drinking water
Waiting rooms and retiring rooms
Delivery of meals and ready-to-eat food directly to trains
Public-Private Partnership: For select Tejas and Humsafar trains, IRCTC collaborates with private partners for ticketing, parcel handling, catering, and housekeeping—an early example of hybrid service delivery.
Rail Drishti Railway Dashboard: A comprehensive public portal offering information on train running status, station amenities, on-board cleanliness, complaints, and other operational insights.
21. Coach Hygiene - Vital for passenger comfort
Congratulations on making it to the final section of this article—and to the end of 2021! 😅In the times we live in, cleanliness and hygiene are inseparable from customer satisfaction. Passenger comfort is shaped not only by punctuality or coach design but also by how clean the environment feels.
Below are two illustrative videos on passenger coach cleaning—an operational aspect that often goes unnoticed despite its importance:
Hope you enjoyed reading this detailed post. Wishing you a happy and safe 2022!
ABOUT US - OPERATIONS MAPPING SOLUTIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS
Intelloc Mapping Services, Kolkata | Mapmyops.com offers a suite of Mapping and Analytics solutions that seamlessly integrate with Operations Planning, Design, and Audit workflows. Our capabilities include — but are not limited to — Drone Services, Location Analytics & GIS Applications, Satellite Imagery Analytics, Supply Chain Network Design, Subsurface Mapping and Wastewater Treatment. Projects are executed pan-India, delivering actionable insights and operational efficiency across sectors.
My firm's services can be split into two categories - Geographic Mapping and Operations Mapping. Our range of offerings are listed in the infographic below-
A majority of our Mapping for Operations-themed workflows (50+) can be accessed from this website's landing page. We respond well to documented queries/requirements. Demonstrations/PoC can be facilitated, on a paid-basis. Looking forward to being of service.
Regards,
