Suburban Railway Networks – Indian Railway GK for RRB Exams
Quick Tagline for Exams: “Suburban = City + Satellite + 1500 V DC (old) / 25 kV AC (new) + 12-car rakes + 3-4 min peak frequency”
1. What is a Suburban Railway?
- Section of IR that provides urban rail commuter service
- Characterised by high station-density (≤2 km), high frequency (3–5 min peak), EMU stock, separate/parallel tracks to main line
- Also called Local, EMU, BEMU, MEMU services
2. Five Functional Suburban Systems (2024)
| Network |
1st Electrified |
Route km (2024) |
Track km (including 4/6 lines) |
Stations |
Avg. Weekday Trains |
Daily Passengers (lakh) |
Unique Feat. |
| Mumbai (CR+WR) |
3 Feb 1925 ( harbour 1927) |
427 |
1 162 |
147 |
3 130 |
82 |
Oldest & busiest |
| Kolkata (ER+SER) |
1957 Sealdah–Bardhaman |
458 |
974 |
458 |
1 530 |
35 |
Only river-ropeway integrated |
| Chennai (SR) |
1931 Beach–Tambaram |
235 |
733 |
53 |
1 200 |
22 |
1st 110 kmph MEMU in SR |
| Delhi (NR) |
1982 to Faridabad |
183 |
534 |
54 |
850 |
12 |
8-car, 100% AC rakes (2021) |
| Bengaluru (SWR) |
2018 (Bengaluru–Whitefield) |
90 |
180 |
22 |
230 |
1.4 |
Greenest – 100% solar station |
Note: Hyderabad MMTS (SCR) is not under IR-Suburban any more; it is now under State-run HMR with HMRS (Hyderabad Multi-Modal Rail System).
3. EMU/MEMU Classification (for MCQ)
| Stock |
Max Speed |
Voltage |
Typical Cars |
Used in |
| EMU (old) |
100 kmph |
1 500 V DC |
9/12 |
Mumbai (till 2016) |
| EMU (new) |
100 kmph |
25 kV AC |
12 |
All systems |
| MEMU |
110/130 kmph |
25 kV AC |
8/12 |
Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru |
| BEMU (Battery) |
80 kmph |
Battery + 25 kV AC |
4 |
Kolkata (Sealdah–Barasat) |
4. Record Numbers to Memorise
- Mumbai: 75 lakh passengers/day (pre-COVID 90 lakh) – highest in world for any single city suburban
- Longest suburban run: Mumbai CST–Kasara 121 km (CR)
- Shortest inter-station distance: Sandhurst Road–Dockyard Road 0.49 km (Mumbai)
- 1st 15-car rake: Mumbai WR (Nov 2012)
- 1st 12-car AC local: Mumbai WR (Dec 2017)
- 1st women-only train: “Ladies Special” Mumbai, 5 May 1992
- 1st suburban section electrified: Bombay VT–Kurla 1925 (1 500 V DC)
5. Fare & Penalty Structure (common across all)
| Distance (km) |
2nd Class Single ₹ |
1st Class Single ₹ |
Season (Monthly) 2nd ₹ |
| 0–5 |
5 |
45 |
105 |
| 5–10 |
10 |
75 |
190 |
| 10–15 |
15 |
105 |
275 |
| >15 |
20 |
135 |
375 |
- Penalty for ticketless travel: ₹250 + fare + jail up to 6 months (Railway Act Sec. 137)
6. Projects in Pipeline (2024-30)
- Mumbai: 3rd & 4th line Virar–Dahanu (done), 5th & 6th CST–Kalya under MUTP-III
- Kolkata: Kolkata–Budge Budge 3rd line (2025)
- Chennai: Beach–Velachery 3rd line (2026)
- Delhi: RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit) Delhi–Meerut (160 kmph) – operational 2025; NOT pure IR but shares track & signalling
- Bengaluru: Whitefield–KIA (airport) 58 km DEMU service (2026)
7. Quick-Fire Tables for Revision
A. Zonal HQ of Suburban Cities
| City |
Zonal Railway |
HQ |
| Mumbai |
CR & WR |
Mumbai CSMT & Mumbai Churchgate |
| Kolkata |
ER & SER |
Kolkata (Sealdah) & Kolkata (Howrah) |
| Chennai |
SR |
Chennai |
| Delhi |
NR |
New Delhi |
| Bengaluru |
SWR |
Hubballi |
B. Suburban Sections with 4/6 lines
- Mumbai: Virar–Dadar (WR) – 6 lines
- Mumbai: Kurla–Thane (CR) – 6 lines
- Chennai: Beach–Chengalpattu – 4 lines (2023)
15 Most-Frequent MCQs (with hidden answers)
1. Which city has the busiest suburban network in India?
**Ans.** Mumbai
2. The first electric suburban service in India was started on –
**Ans.** 3 Feb 1925 (Bombay VT–Kurla)
3. The voltage system used for Kolkata suburban EMU rakes is –
**Ans.** 25 kV AC
4. Which of the following is NOT a zonal headquarters for any suburban system?
**Ans.** Secunderabad (for Bengaluru suburban HQ is Hubballi)
5. The longest suburban run on Indian Railways is –
**Ans.** Mumbai CST–Kasara (121 km)
6. The first 15-car suburban rake was introduced in –
**Ans.** Mumbai Western Railway (Nov 2012)
7. Which suburban system still operates a Battery-EMU (BEMU)?
**Ans.** Kolkata (Sealdah–Barasat BEMU)
8. “Ladies Special” suburban trains were first introduced in –
**Ans.** Mumbai, 5 May 1992
9. Total number of functional suburban systems under Indian Railways as on 2024 is –
**Ans.** 5 (Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru)
10. The approximate daily passenger trips of Mumbai suburban alone are about –
**Ans.** 75 lakh
11. Penalty for travelling without ticket on suburban section is –
**Ans.** ₹250 + fare (max imprisonment 6 months)
12. Which project is building a 160 kmph regional rail for Delhi–Meerut?
**Ans.** RRTS (National Capital Region Transport Corporation)
13. The shortest inter-station distance on Indian suburban network is –
**Ans.** Sandhurst Road–Dockyard Road (0.49 km)
14. Kolkata suburban is jointly served by two zones; they are –
**Ans.** Eastern Railway & South Eastern Railway
15. Bengaluru suburban services use which EMU stock?
**Ans.** 8-car MEMU (25 kV AC)
Last-Minute Revision Tip: Remember “5-5-5” – 5 cities, 5 zones, 5 lakhs (min) daily passengers!
BETA
