LARRDIS 1 March 2021 LARRDIS (Lok Sabha Secretariat) New Delhi BACKGROUND NOTE on “Indian Railways” (For the use of Members of Parliament) March 2021 ____________________________________________________________________________ The brief note is intended to serve only as a background aid to the Members of Parliament. It is for restricted circulation and not for publication in any form. [Prepared by the Infrastructure and Energy Desk, Reference Division. Officers associated with the preparation – Shalima Sharma, Joint Director, Shri Pradosh Panda, Director and supervised by Smt. Kalpana Sharma, Additional Secretary. Feedback is welcome and may be sent to refdiv-
[email protected]] LARRDIS 2 March 2021 INTRODUCTION Indian Railways has a crucial role in the economic growth and development of our country. Be it carrying agriculture produce to distant places, aiding growth of industries and connecting major ports, railways have significantly helped in bridging the distance between the different places and regions of our country. As a relatively cheap mode of transport, it has been a preferred mode of travel and one of the instruments in national integration. Railways have also a played vital role in mitigating the suffering of people in natural calamities, drought, floods, famines, earthquake etc. Railways are specially suited to carry bulky materials like coal, petroleum and oars etc. Over the years the railway engines have developed from steam to diesel and now majorly to electric. This has added to make the train services super fast which has in a way contributed to quick movement of passengers and materials. With over 67,580 route kms, Indian Railways is the third-largest network in the world.