Explain giving reasons why railways are not as popular as roadways in India.[any 2]
Answers
Answer:
Rail transport is an important mode of transport in India.
Rail transport in India
Operation
National railway
Indian Railways
Statistics
Ridership
9.116 billion (2018)[1]
Passenger km
1,149.835 billion (2017)[1]
Freight
1.106 billion tonnes (2017)[1]
System length
Total
69,182 km (42,988 mi) (route)[1]
121,407 km (75,439 mi) (total track)[1]
Electrified
35,488 km (22,051 mi) (route)[1]
48,239 km (29,974 mi) (running track)[1]
Track gauge
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
64,298 km (39,953 mi)[1]
1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Not available
1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge
3,076 km (1,911 mi)[1]
Two narrow gauges, 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) and 610 mm (2 ft)
1,808 km (1,123 mi)[1]
Features
Longest tunnel
Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel, 11.215 km (6.969 mi)
No. bridges
133,160 (2011)[2]
Longest bridge
Bogibeel Bridge, 4.94 km (3.07 mi)[3]
No. stations
7,349[1]
Highest elevation
2,257 m (7,405 ft)
at
Ghum on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Lowest elevation
4 m (13 ft)
at
Barra Bazar and Honnavara Railway Station
Railway network map of India - schematic
All main-line rail operations in India are handled by Indian Railways (IR), a state-owned organization of the Ministry of Railways. As of March 2017, the rail network comprises 121,407 km (75,439 mi) of track[4] over a route of 67,368 km (41,861 mi) and 7,349 stations.[1] It is the fourth-largest railway network in the world (after those of the United States, Russia and China).[5] Forty nine percent of the routes are electrified with 25 KV AC electric traction while thirty-three percent of them are double or multi-tracked.[1]
It is one of the busiest networks in the world, transporting 8.107 billion passengers and over 1.108 billion tonnes of freight annually, as of 2017.[1] Indian Railways is the world's eighth largest employer, with more than 1.308 million employees as of March 2018.[1] As of March 2017, IR's rolling stock consisted of 277,987 freight wagons, 70,937 passenger coaches and 11,452 locomotives.[1] IR owns locomotive and coach-production facilities at several locations in India.
The urban rail transit systems across the country are operated independently of Indian Railways. There are currently 11 operational rapid transit (also called 'metro') systems in ten cities in India. As of September 2019, India has 638 kilometres (396 miles) of operational metro lines and 502 stations. A further 500+ km of lines are under construction and 1200+ km of lines are proposed
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The northern plains have vast level land. ... ii These plains have high population density as a result of which we find dense railway network these to cater the interest of the people. iii Rich agricultural resources provide a favourable condition for the growth of railway network in the northern plains.