Zones Zone Headquarters And History
Railway GK: Zone Headquarters & History
(For all RRB NTPC, Group-D, ALP, JE-SSE)
1. Indian Railways – At a Glance
- Country’s largest employer: 1.3 million regular employees
- Route km (31 Mar 2023): 68,584 km
- Running track km: 1,07,457 km
- Total stations (approx.): 7,500+
- Annual freight loading (FY 23): 1,512 million t
- Daily passenger carry: >2.3 crore
- Birth year: 16 April 1853 (first train Bori Bunder – Thane, 34 km)
- Nationalised: 1951 (all private companies merged)
- Zonal re-organisations: 1951 (6), 1952 (9), 1966 (11), 2003 (16), 2010 (17)
2. Present 18 Railway Zones (17+1) – Headquarters & Year of Creation
| S.No | Zone (popular name) | HQ (City & State) | Year of formation* | Route km (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central (CR) | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 5 Nov 1951 | 3,900 |
| 2 | Eastern (ER) | Kolkata, West Bengal | 14 Apr 1952 | 2,625 |
| 3 | East Central (ECR) | Hajipur, Bihar | 1 Oct 2003 | 3,766 |
| 4 | East Coast (ECoR) | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | 1 Apr 2003 | 2,839 |
| 5 | Northern (NR) | New Delhi, Delhi | 14 Apr 1952 | 6,807 |
| 6 | North Central (NCR) | Allahabad (Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh | 1 Apr 2003 | 3,062 |
| 7 | North Eastern (NER) | Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh | 14 Apr 1952 | 3,447 |
| 8 | Northeast Frontier (NFR) | Maligaon (Guwahati), Assam | 14 Apr 1958 | 4,147 |
| 9 | North Western (NWR) | Jaipur, Rajasthan | 1 Oct 2002 | 5,465 |
| 10 | Southern (SR) | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | 14 Apr 1952 | 5,029 |
| 11 | South Central (SCR) | Secunderabad, Telangana | 2 Oct 1966 | 6,597 |
| 12 | South Coast (formerly ECoR-2) | Visakhapatnam (new zone approved 2019 – yet to be notified) | (proposed) | – |
| 13 | South Eastern (SER) | Kolkata, West Bengal | 1955 (re-carved) | 2,709 |
| 14 | South East Central (SECR) | Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh | 1 Apr 2003 | 2,447 |
| 15 | South Western (SWR) | Hubballi, Karnataka | 1 Apr 2003 | 3,499 |
| 16 | Western (WR) | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 5 Nov 1951 | 4,590 |
| 17 | West Central (WCR) | Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh | 1 Apr 2003 | 2,965 |
| 18 | Kolkata Metro (17th operational zone) | Kolkata, West Bengal | 29 Dec 2010 | 52 (rapid-transit) |
Note: Formation year = date from which the zone started functioning with independent GM.
Source: Railway Board Year Book 2022-23.
(Route-kms are rounded – sufficient for MCQ memory).
3. Chronology of Zonal Re-organisations (Exam Favourite)
Expand to memorise
- 1853 – First passenger train (Bombay-Thane)
- 1951 – Initial 6 zones (CR, ER, NR, SR, WR, NER)
- 1952 – ER split → ER & SER (SER HQ Calcutta/Sovabazar)
- 1955 – SER re-carved again (present SER born)
- 1958 – NFR carved out of ER (for NE connectivity)
- 1966 – SCR created (Hyderabad state merged)
- 2002-03 – 7 new zones (NWR, WCR, NCR, ECR, ECoR, SECR, SWR)
- 2010 – Kolkata Metro given 17th zonal status
- 2019 (Cabinet-in-principle) – South Coast Railway (AP) – notification awaited
4. Headquarters Map-Memory Code
CR/WR – Mumbai twin
ER/SER – Kolkata twin
NR – Capital (Delhi)
SR – Chennai
SCR – Secunderabad
NER – Gorakhpur
NFR – Guwahati (Maligaon)
NCR – Prayagraj
ECR – Hajipur (only HQ in Bihar)
ECoR – Bhubaneswar
SECR – Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh)
WCR – Jabalpur (MP)
NWR – Jaipur
SWR – Hubballi
Metro – Kolkata
5. Previous-Year RRB FAQs (Factual)
- Which is the newest zone? – Kolkata Metro (2010)
- Only zone HQ located in Bihar? – East Central Railway (Hajipur)
- Largest route-km zone? – Northern Railway
- Headquarters of South Coast Railway (proposed)? – Visakhapatnam
- First train in India ran between? – Bori Bunder (Mumbai) – Thane
- Indian Railways nationalised in? – 1951
- First Railway Budget independent of General Budget – 1924 (now merged with Union Budget 2017)
- Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (Toy train) World Heritage status – 1999 (UNESCO)
- Longest platform in India (as on 2023) – Hubballi (SWR) – 1,507 m
- Indian Railways’ 100 yrs of electrification completed – 3 Aug 2025 (first 1925, Harbour line)
6. Quick Reference Tables
A. Zones with TWO HQs in same state
- Maharashtra – CR & WR (both Mumbai)
- West Bengal – ER, SER & Metro (all Kolkata)
- Karnataka – SWR only (but Hubballi & Bengaluru division)
B. Only one zone HQ in these states
- Bihar (ECR)
- Chhattisgarh (SECR)
- Rajasthan (NWR)
- Odisha (ECoR)
- Assam (NFR)
- MP (WCR)
- UP (NER, NCR) – two zones, two different cities
C. Zones created in 1952 (4)
- ER, NR, NER, SR
D. Zones created on 1 Apr 2003 (5)
- ECR, ECoR, NCR, SWR, SECR, WCR (6 actually)
7. 15 Practice MCQs (with Answers)
Q1. The headquarters of East Central Railway is
a) Patna b) Muzaffarpur c) Hajipur d) Dhanbad
Ans. c
Q2. In which year was South Central Railway formed?
a) 1951 b) 1952 c) 1966 d) 2003
Ans. c
Q3. Which of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched?
a) NER – Gorakhpur b) WCR – Jabalpur c) NWR – Jodhpur d) SECR – Bilaspur
Ans. c
Q4. The 17th operational zone of Indian Railways is
a) Kolkata Metro b) South Coast c) WCR d) NCR
Ans. a
Q5. First train of India ran on
a) 16 Apr 1851 b) 16 Apr 1853 c) 18 May 1853 d) 1 Apr 1854
Ans. b
Q6. Indian Railways was nationalised in
a) 1947 b) 1950 c) 1951 d) 1952
Ans. c
Q7. Headquarters of North Central Railway is located at
a) Lucknow b) Prayagraj c) Varanasi d) New Delhi
Ans. b
Q8. Which zone has the longest route kilometrage?
a) NR b) SCR c) WR d) NWR
Ans. a
Q9. The only zonal HQ situated in the state of Chhattisgarh is
a) ECR b) SECR c) WCR d) NCR
Ans. b
Q10. When was Northeast Frontier Railway carved out of Eastern Railway?
a) 1951 b) 1952 c) 1955 d) 1958
Ans. d
Q11. Match the following:
Zone HQ
- East Coast (i) Jabalpur
- West Central (ii) Bhubaneswar
- North Western (iii) Jaipur
Codes:
a) 1-ii, 2-i, 3-iii b) 1-i, 2-ii, 3-iii c) 1-iii, 2-ii, 3-i d) 1-ii, 2-iii, 3-i
Ans. a
Q12. Which city has two conventional zone HQs?
a) Delhi b) Mumbai c) Chennai d) Kolkata
Ans. b (CR & WR)
Q13. Number of zones created on 1 April 2003 is
a) 5 b) 6 c) 7 d) 8
Ans. b (ECR, ECoR, NCR, SWR, SECR, WCR)
Q14. Proposed South Coast Railway will have its HQ at
a) Vijayawada b) Guntakal c) Visakhapatnam d) Tirupati
Ans. c
Q15. The first Railway Budget in India was presented in
a) 1853 b) 1860 c) 1921 d) 1924
Ans. d
8. Revision Tips
- Remember the “3-6-9” rule: 3 zones in Mumbai/Kolkata each; 6 zones born 2003; 9 zones born 1951-52.
- Use HQ-map: draw India map → mark only HQ cities → recall zone names.
- Note numerical triggers: 1853 (first), 1951 (nationalise), 2003 (max zones).
- Kolkata Metro is a zone but NOT a “conventional” zone – read questions carefully.
All the best for RRB NTPC/Group-D/ALP/JE!
BETA
