Good news for Mumbai! Indian Railways is going to open a regional museum at Lonavala in Mumbai this year. The museum will be opened around mid-October. It will initially display historic artifacts.

            The museum at Mumbai will join an esteemed league of similar museums at other places of the country. The National Rail Museum at New Delhi has a rich collection of exhibits. The Mysore Rail Museum and the other rail museums in the country all proudly boast of a rich heritage.

                        And now, Mumbai is going to join the league.

Post air fare hike it was being apprehended that a chunk of air travelers might shift to other modes of transportation, especially the railways. Now, the facts confirm this hunch. Western Railway has recorded a 53% jump in passenger booking in the last month on Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani in comparison to the figure recorded last July. Though July is regarded as a lean month for outstation travel, Western Railway has registered nearly 100% occupancy levels.

            Seems good times are back for the railways. Even at the cost of the aviation sector’s dipping curve of passenger booking.

Recent updates on the train fire that erupted in the Secundarabad-Kakinada Gouthami Express, on 1st August, 2008 at 1:30 am, shows that the number of passengers who perished in the train accident were 20. Reports have further confirmed that 6 people were also injured in this train mishap. Authorities fear that the death toll may even go higher than 20. Since many bodies were bunt beyond recognition, hence DNA tests will be conducted to confirm thier indentity. The train was moving at a high sped of 100 kmph, as a result of which the fire qucikly spread to the bogies adjoining the sleeper coach S-9. The unfortunate incident occured near the Kesamudram railway Station in Warangal District, Andhra Pradesh.

A compensation of Rs 5 lakhs will be given by the India railway Ministry to the families of the affected victims. Besides this, a job will aslo be given to the nearest relative of the passengers who lost their lives in this train accident. This mishap has really shaken the India railway department.

It appears that misfortune has again struck Indian railways. Just today morning a fire erupted in the Gouthami Express killing 4 passengers, which includes 3 physically challenged persons and one pregnant women. The train accident occured when the Secundarabad-Kakinada Gouthami Express was passing through the forest area between Tallapusalapalli and Mehboobabad stations, at around 1:30 a.m. The train fire apparently erupted as a result of a short-circuit. The fire initially broke out into sleeper coach S-9 and then gradually spread to four consecutive coaches of the train.

Once the fire broke out, there was complete confusion among the passengers who were tarveling in the train. Some even jumped off the train. The railway authorities, rescue team and police immediately swung into action. The burning coaches were separated from the rest of the train. The injured passengers have been admitted in the Warangal Government Hospital. As a result of this rail accident, the other trains along the Hyderabad-Viyawada Route have either been cancelled or diverted.

One of the busiest and largest rail networks of the world, the Indian railways, is the pride of the nation transporting more than seventeen million passengers and two million tonnes of daily freight. Indian Railways was first introduced to the nation in the year 1853.

By the year 1947, the Indian Railways operated forty two rail systems and the year 1951 the systems were nationalized to one unit making it as one of the largest rail networks in the world. In the year 1952 the rail networks were abandoned due to administrative causes and six railway zones were created.

The largest rail network in Asia and the second largest in the world, the Indian Railway goes through the length and breadth of the country. It covers a distance of around 104,000 kms and operates around 8000 passenger trains and 9300 goods trains. Around 17 million passengers commute the railway. A journey on the Indian railway system is a wonderful experience as it passes through various cities and regions. The passengers get a feel of the diverse tradition and culture of the country by undertaking a tour on the railway. 

For more information, click on:   http://www.mapsofindia.com/railways/

Indian Railways is the largest rail network in Asia and the world’s second largest under one management. Indian Railway employs more than 1.6 million and holds again the distinction of the largest employer in the country. Indian Railways runs around 11,000 trains everyday, of which 7,000 are passenger trains

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For administrative purposes Indian Railways is divided into 16 zones. They are:

1. Central Railway
2. Western Railway
3. Eastern Railway
4. South East Central Railway
5. Northern Railway
6. East Coast Railway
7. North Eastern Railway
8. North Central Rail way
9. North East Frontier Railway
10. North Western Railway
11. Southern Railway
12. South Western Railway
13. South Central Railway
14. West Central Railway
15. South Eastern Railway
16. East Central Railway