Zones All 18 Railway Zones Details
Railway GK Capsule – 18 Railway Zones (RRB/NTPC/Group-D/ALP)
1. Why “18 Zones” Matter in RRB Papers
- 1-2 direct questions every year on HQ city, year of formation, divisional HQ, mileage, slogan etc.
- 5-6 options in “match-the-following” & “statement-reason” type questions.
- Zone-wise facts are backbone for questions on longest/shortest routes, award-winning stations, loco-sheds, workshops.
2. Zone-at-a-Glance Master Table
(★ = frequently asked in shift-1/2 papers)
| # | Zone (short) | HQ City | Year* | Route km (2023) | Divisions (3-6 each) | Slogan/Tag line | Workshop (oldest) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ★ CR | Mumbai CST | 1951 | 3,950 | Mumbai, Pune, Bhusawal, Nagpur, Solapur | “Life-line of the Nation” | Parel (1874) |
| 2 | ★ ER | Kolkata | 1952 | 2,620 | Howrah, Sealdah, Asansol, Malda | “Progress through Partnership” | Jamalpur (1862) |
| 3 | ★ EC | Hajipur (Patna) | 2002 | 3,450 | Dhanbad, Danapur, Pt-DDU(Mughalsarai), Samastipur, Sonpur | “Dedicated to Nation” | Dhanbad (coaching) |
| 4 | ★ ECoR | Bhubaneswar | 2003 | 2,750 | Khurda Rd, Sambalpur, Waltair | “Service & Safety” | Mancheswar (carriage) |
| 5 | NR | Delhi | 1951 | 6,975 | Delhi, Ambala, Firozpur, Lucknow, Moradabad | “Safety First” | Charbagh (Lucknow) |
| 6 | NCR | Prayagraj | 2003 | 3,060 | Prayagraj, Jhansi, Agra | “Better Service Every Day” | Jhansi (1880) |
| 7 | NER | Gorakhpur | 1952 | 3,360 | Izzatnagar, Lucknow, Varanasi | “Pride of the Purv” | Gorakhpur (1903) |
| 8 | NWR | Jaipur | 2002 | 5,750 | Jaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur | “Safety-Speed-Service” | Ajmer (1870) |
| 9 | SR | Chennai | 1951 | 5,080 | Chennai, Tiruchchirappalli, Madurai, Palakkad, Salem | “Serving the Southern Heart” | Perambur (1856) |
| 10 | SCR | Secunderabad | 1966 | 3,440 | Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Guntakal, Nanded | “Safety with Speed” | Lallaguda (1896) |
| 11 | SER | Kolkata (Garden Reach) | 1955 | 4,350 | Kharagpur, Adra, Chakradharpur, Ranchi | “Service & Dedication” | Kharagpur (1900) |
| 12 | SE CR | Bilaspur | 2003 | 2,450 | Bilaspur, Raipur, Nagpur (new) | “Progress & Prosperity” | Raipur (1890) |
| 13 | WR | Mumbai (Churchgate) | 1951 | 5,180 | Mumbai WR, Ratlam, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar | “Safety & Punctuality” | Mahalaxmi (1910) |
| 14 | WCR | Jabalpur | 2003 | 2,960 | Jabalpur, Bhopal, Kota | “Safety First Always” | Bhopal (1920) |
| 15 | KR (Konkan) | CBD Belapur | 1998 | 741 | Ratnagiri, Karwar (no division), 2 sub-divisions | “Sagar-Parikrama” | Verna (car shed) |
| 16 | ★ MR | Kolkata | 2019 | 1,360 | Sealdah, Howrah (shared infra) | “Metro for Metropolis” | Noapara workshop |
| 17 | SWR | Hubballi | 2003 | 3,380 | Hubballi, Bengaluru, Mysuru | “Progressive & Passenger Friendly” | Hubballi (1885) |
| 18 | ★ Metro MR | Delhi (Barakhamba) | 2019 (corporate) | 391 | Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad | “Change the Way you Move” | Sarai Rohilla depot |
*Year of notification (not operational start).
Route-km = broad-gauge + electrified (rounded to 10).
3. Quick-Fire Data Points (RRB “One-liner”)
- Largest (route-km): NR – 6,975 km
- Smallest: Metro MR – 391 km (conventional), KR – 741 km
- Youngest conventional zone: ECoR (2003-04)
- Oldest workshop still functioning: Jamalpur (ER) – 1862
- Only zone with 3 states’ HQ split: SCR (Telangana-AP-Karnataka)
- Only zone entirely on Western coast: KR (Konkan Railway)
- Only zone bifurcated from Metro parent: MR (Kolkata Metro)
- First zone to 100% electrification: CR (2021)
- Zone having longest river bridge (Vembanad): SR – 4.62 km
- Slogan coined by then MR V. K. Raina: CR – “Life-line of the Nation”
4. Previous-Year Pattern – 3 Most-Repeated Question Types
Type-A: Match HQ-City vs Zone (e.g. NTPC 2022 – 4 matches)
Type-B: Arrange zones chronologically of formation (asked in Group-D 2018)
Type-C: Identify division NOT belonging to a particular zone (ALP 2021)
5. Zone-wise Divisions (Exam-ready)
Click to expand full division list (use for matching practice)
| Zone | Divisions |
|---|---|
| CR | Mumbai CST, Pune, Bhusawal, Solapur, Nagpur |
| ER | Howrah, Sealdah, Asansol, Malda Town |
| EC | Danapur, Dhanbad, Pt-DDU, Samastipur, Sonpur |
| ECoR | Khurda Road, Sambalpur, Waltair |
| NR | Delhi, Ambala, Firozpur, Lucknow, Moradabad |
| NCR | Prayagraj, Jhansi, Agra |
| NER | Izzatnagar, Lucknow, Varanasi |
| NWR | Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner |
| SR | Chennai, Tiruchchirappalli, Madurai, Palakkad, Salem |
| SCR | Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Guntakal, Nanded |
| SER | Kharagpur, Adra, Chakradharpur, Ranchi |
| SECR | Bilaspur, Raipur, Nagpur (SECR) |
| WR | Mumbai WR, Ratlam, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar |
| WCR | Jabalpur, Bhopal, Kota |
| KR | — (no division; 2 sub-divisions: Ratnagiri & Karwar) |
| MR (Kolkata) | — (functional divisions same as ER/ER suburban) |
| SWR | Hubballi, Bengaluru, Mysuru |
| Metro MR (Delhi) | — (Depot-based but no railway division) |
6. 15 “Must-do” MCQs (with official key)
-
Headquarters of North Central Railway is situated at
A) New Delhi B) Prayagraj C) Lucknow D) Jaipur
Ans: B -
Match: Zone → Year of formation
a) South East Central b) East Central c) North Western- 2002 2) 2003 3) 2003
Correct code:
A) a-2, b-3, c-1 B) a-2, b-1, c-3 C) a-3, b-2, c-1 D) a-1, b-2, c-3
Ans: A
- 2002 2) 2003 3) 2003
-
Which of the following divisions does NOT belong to Western Railway?
A) Rajkot B) Bhavnagar C) Ratlam D) Nagpur
Ans: D (Nagpur is CR/SECR) -
The slogan “Dedicated to Nation” is adopted by
A) EC B) ECoR C) SCR D) NCR
Ans: A -
Largest route-km among the 18 zones is
A) NR B) WR C) SR D) SCR
Ans: A -
Konkan Railway passes through how many States?
A) 2 B) 3 C) 4 D) 5
Ans: B (Maharashtra-Goa-Karnataka) -
Which zone has its workshop at Jamalpur?
A) ER B) ECR C) NFR D) SER
Ans: A -
Kolkata Metro comes administratively under
A) ER B) MR C) SER D) Metro Railway (Kolkata) zone
Ans: D -
The youngest conventional zone is
A) ECoR B) WCR C) SECR D) NWR
Ans: A (formed 03-04-2003) -
Sealdah division is part of
A) ER B) NFR C) SER D) MR
Ans: A -
In which zone is the “Diesel Loco Modernisation Works” (DLMW) located?
A) WCR B) NCR C) NWR D) NR
Ans: B (Patiala – but Patiala is under NR; trick -> DLMW is at Patiala, hence NR) -
“Service & Safety” is the motto of
A) ECoR B) SER C) SCR D) SR
Ans: A -
Bilaspur division is under
A) SECR B) CR C) WR D) SER
Ans: A -
Number of divisions in South Central Railway is
A) 5 B) 6 C) 7 D) 4
Ans: B -
Match List-I (Zone) with List-II (HQ):
- North Eastern 2) South Western 3) West Central
a) Gorakhpur b) Hubballi c) Jabalpur
Correct code:
A) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c B) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c C) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a D) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Ans: A
- North Eastern 2) South Western 3) West Central
7. 60-Second Revision Card
- 18 zones → remember 6 created in 2002-03 (NCR, NWR, SECR, WCR, ECoR, KRCL)
- Only 2 Metros → MR (Kolkata) & MR (Delhi)
- 3 zones headquartered in Kolkata → ER, SER, MR (Kolkata)
- 100% electrification zones (as on 2023): CR, WR, SER, SECR, ER, WCR
Keep this page printed near your study desk; revise HQ-Year-Division triangle daily – 5 min/day = 5 marks sure-shot in Railway GK!
BETA
