History Post Independence Railway Development

Post-Independence Railway Development

(Indian Railway GK for RRB NTPC, Group-D, ALP, JE & all Railway Exams)

1. Era-wise Growth at a Glance

Phase Key Label Period Route km on 31 Mar Major Objective / Event
I Nationalisation & Integration 1947-50 54,384 → 53,596 km Merger of 42 princely & private lines; regauging war-time tracks
II First Five-Year Plans 1951-56 55,386 km Core-infrastructure focus; WDM-1 diesel loco (1957)
III Steam-to-Diesel Transition 1957-68 59,796 km 1st electrification (3 kV DC) – Bombay suburban (1925→converted 1957)
IV Mass Electrification 1969-80 61,240 km 1969–72: All-india 25 kV AC system adopted; Rajdhani Express (1969)
V Seventh-Freight Corridor 1980-90 62,367 km BOX-N wagons, RORO, CONCERT freight computerisation
VI IRFC, Konkan & Economic Liberalisation 1991-2000 62,809 km 1991: WAP-5/WAG-9 import; Konkan Rly opened (1998)
VII Vision 2020 & Dedicated Freight Corridor 2001-14 65,808 km 2006: National Rail Vikas Yojana; 2010: 1st trial run of DFC
VIII Bullet & Make-in-India 2015-23 68,443 km 2016: Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR sanctioned; 100% electrification target 2023

2. Snapshot Numbers (1950-51 vs 2022-23)

Parameter 1950-51 2022-23 Multiplication Factor
Route km 53,596 68,443 ×1.28
Running Track km 59,315 107,000 ×1.80
Originating Passengers (cr) 128.4 6,200 ×48
Freight Originated (MT) 93 1,512 ×16
Staff (lakh) 8.06 12.45 ×1.55
Operating Ratio (%) 78.3 98.14 Worsened
Annual Plan Outlay (₹ cr) 42 2,45,000 ×5,800

3. Landmark Chronology (Must-Remember Dates)

Year Event Exam-Tip
26 Jan 1950 Indian Railways rechristened as ‘Indian Railways’ (from ‘IR & IR’) First Republic Day
1951 First Railway Budget presented separately (presented by John Mathai) Budget in Parliament
1952 All rail services brought under 9 Zones Note 9 original zones
1956 Production of 1st indigenous steam loco (CLW – “Chittaranjan”) Flagship Make-in-India
1957 First diesel loco (WDM-1) rolled out by ALCO import Dieselisation starts
1966 Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala set up 2nd coach factory after Perambur
1969 Rajdhani Express (NZM-HWH) – 17 h 20 m, 1449 km @ 86 km/h Fastest then
1974 First 25 kV AC electric loco (WAG-1) by CLW Indigenous
1984 Computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) – Delhi only CONCERT later
1986 Rail Wheel Factory, Bengaluru 3rd critical factory
1994 First CONCOR container train (Delhi-Tughlakabad → Mumbai) Logistics arm
1998 Konkan Railway Corporation opened (760 km, 92 tunnels) PPP model
2002 1st 6000 HP freight loco (WAG-9H) & 160 km/h WAP-7 CLW
2006 National Rail Vikas Yojana (NRVY) – ₹2500 cr Golden Quad
2010 Semi-high speed “Gatimaan” trial 160 km/h (still-born) HSR precursor
2016 Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) sanctioned (₹1.08 lakh cr) Bullet train
2021 100% Broad Gauge, 85% Electrification achieved Dec-2023: 100% electrification

4. Zone Creation Sequence (Frequent MCQ)

Sl Zone (HQ) Year From erstwhile
1 Southern (Chennai) 14.04.1951 SR split from Madras & Southern Mahratta
2 Central (Mumbai-CS) 05.11.1951 GIPR & portions of BB&CIR
3 Western (Mumbai-Churchgate) 05.11.1951 BB&CIR, Bombay, Baroda & Central India
4 Eastern (Kolkata) 14.04.1952 East Indian Railway
5 Northern (Delhi) 14.04.1952 Oudh & Tirhut, East Indian, Jodhpur & Bikaner
6 North Eastern (Gorakhpur) 14.04.1952 Bengal & North-Western, Assam Bengal link
7 South Eastern (Kolkata) 1955 SER carved out of ER
8 Northeast Frontier (Maligaon) 15.01.1958 Split from NER
9 South Central (Secunderabad) 02.10.1966 Portions of SR, CR & SCR
10 East Coast (Bhubaneswar) 01.04.2003 SER
11 East Central (Hajipur) 01.10.2002 NER, ER
12 North Central (Allahabad) 01.04.2003 NR, CR, NER
13 North Western (Jaipur) 01.04.2003 NR, WR
14 South East Central (Bilaspur) 01.04.2003 SECR
15 South Western (Hubballi) 01.04.2003 SCR, SR
16 West Central (Jabalpur) 01.04.2003 CR, WR
17 Kolkata Metro (Kolkata) 29.12.2010 17th (newest)

5. Production Units & PSU Birthdays

Unit Year Place Product
CLW 1950 Chittaranjan (WB) Electric loco
ICF 1955 Perambur (Chennai) Integral coaches
RCF 1966 Kapurthala (Pb) LHB coaches
DMW 1976 Patiala (Pb) Diesel loco overhaul
RWF 1984 Bengaluru Wheels & axles
BEML 1964 Bengaluru Metro coaches (PSU)
RailTel 2000 Delhi Telecom arm
IRFC 1986 Delhi Finance arm
IRCTC 1999 Delhi Catering & tourism
CONCOR 1988 Delhi Container ops
RVNL 2003 Delhi Project execution
DFCCIL 2006 Delhi Dedicated freight corridor

6. Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC)

Corridor Route & Distance Status
Eastern DFC Ludhiana → Dankuni (1,337 km) 85% ready (2023)
Western DFC Jawaharlal Nehru Port → Dadri (1,506 km) 93% ready (2023)
E-W & others Under survey (total 6,000 km by 2030) DPR stage

7. Exam-Capsule Bullet Points

  • Longest train run: Vivek Express (Dibrugarh–Kanyakumari) 4,233 km
  • Longest platform: Hubballi (1,505 m)
  • Highest rail bridge: Chenab Bridge (359 m) on USBRL (2022)
  • First UNESCO heritage: Mtn. railways (Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Kalka) 1999, 2005, 2008
  • Railway week: 10–16 April (1952)
  • First Green train: 1st CNG train (Rewari–Rohtak) 2015
  • First Solar-powered station: Guwahati 2017
  • First Wi-fi station: Mumbai Central 2016
  • First double-decker: Howrah–Barddhaman 1969; 1st AC DD Delhi–Bhopal 2012
  • First refrigerated container: 1969
  • 1st Rail University: National Rail & Transportation Institute (NRTI) Vadodara 2018

8. Quick-Fire Frequently Asked Facts

Q. When did Indian Railways adopt 25 kV AC traction permanently? 1969–72; first section on 25 kV – Raj Kharsawan–Dongoaposi (SER) 15 Dec 1959 but system-wide switch over by 1972.
Q. Which was the first zone created after independence? Southern Railway – 14 April 1951.
Q. Name the first indigenous electric loco class and where built? WAG-1; Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) 1974.
Q. Which organisation built the Konkan Railway? Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) – incorporated 19 July 1990, opened for traffic 20 Jan 1998 (full section).
Q. When did Indian Railways attain 100% Broad-Gauge network? 31 Dec 2021 (last section – MG to BG, Chhattisgarh).

9. 15 Exam-Standard MCQs (with Answers)

  1. In which year was the first separate Railway Budget presented in independent India?
    A. 1948 B. 1950 C. 1951 D. 1952
    Ans: C

  2. The first Rajdhani Express was flagged off between which stations?
    A. Delhi–Mumbai B. Delhi–Howrah C. Delhi–Chennai D. Delhi–Secunderabad
    Ans: B

  3. India’s first 25 kV AC electric loco WAG-1 was built at
    A. Patiala B. Varanasi C. Chittaranjan D. Bhilai
    Ans: C

  4. Which of the following zones is the newest?
    A. East Coast B. North Western C. Kolkata Metro D. South Western
    Ans: C

  5. The total route km of Indian Railways at the time of independence (Aug 1947) was about
    A. 42,000 km B. 54,000 km C. 65,000 km D. 38,000 km
    Ans: B

  6. Konkan Railway Corporation was incorporated in
    A. 1985 B. 1990 C. 1992 D. 1995
    Ans: B

  7. Which production unit was set up latest among the given?
    A. ICF B. RCF C. RWF D. DMW
    Ans: C

  8. Rail Wheel Factory is located at
    A. Kapurthala B. Bengaluru C. Rae Bareli D. Bhopal
    Ans: B

  9. First fully computerised passenger reservation system (PRS) was introduced at
    A. Delhi B. Mumbai C. Chennai D. Kolkata
    Ans: A

  10. The operating ratio of Indian Railways in 1950-51 was approximately
    A. 65% B. 78% C. 88% D. 98%
    Ans: B

  11. Indian Railways adopted 25 kV AC system on recommendation of
    A. IRCON B. SNCF C. RDSO D. French AC Study Team
    Ans: D

  12. Which of the following is NOT a PSU under Ministry of Railways?
    A. IRFC B. IRCTC C. CONCOR D. NTPC
    Ans: D

  13. The first Green Toilet/ Bio-digester technology was initially fitted in which type of coach?
    A. LHB B. ICF C. Rajdhani D. Duronto
    Ans: B

  14. The route km of Eastern DFC is approximately
    A. 1,039 km B. 1,183 km C. 1,337 km D. 1,506 km
    Ans: C

  15. Indian Railways Vision 2020 target of covering 100% electrification was officially revised to be completed by
    A. 2020 B. 2021 C. 2022 D. 2023
    Ans: D

10. One-Minute Revision Card

  • 1951 – First Rail Budget
  • 1952 – 6 Original zones born
  • 1969 – Rajdhani & 25 kV AC nation-wide switch
  • 1984 – Computerised PRS
  • 1998 – Konkan Rly opens
  • 2003 – 7 new zones (total 16 + Metro)
  • 2021 – 100% Broad Gauge
  • 2023 – 100% Electrification target met

Keep revising; attempt weekly mocks; 2–3 questions guaranteed from this topic in every RRB paper. All the best!

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