Rail transport is the most commonly used mode of long distance
transportation in India. Rail operations throughout the country
are run by the state-owned company, Indian Railways. The rail
network traverses through the length and breadth of the country,
covering a total length of 63,140 km (39,200 miles). It is
one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world,
transporting over 5 billion passengers and over 350 million
tonnes of freight annually.[1] Its operations covers twenty-seven
states and three Union territories and also links the neighbouring
countries of Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Railways were first introduced to India in
1853, and by 1947, the year of India's independence, it
had grown to forty-two rail systems. In 1951 the systems
were nationalised as one unit,
