Indian Railways ir

Railways are the most dependable and comfortable mode of transportation. ... It is the safest way of transportation. It covers large distance at high speed. It is cheaper mode of transport.

The operation is carried out by a railway company, providing transport between train stations or freight customer facilities. Power is provided by locomotives which either draw electric power from a railway electrification system or produce their own power, usually by diesel engines or, historically, steam engines.

Jaganath Shunkerseth (known as Nana Shankarsheth) formed the Indian Railway Association. The first commercial train journey in India between Bombay and Thane on 16 April 1853 in a 14 carriage long train drawn by 3 locomotives named Sultan, Sindh and Sahib.

Types of Trains

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  High speed trains. Source: Flickr. ...
  
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  Inter-city trains. Inter-city trains generally mean trains traveling long distances connecting metropolitan areas. ...
  
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  Commuter/regional trains. Caltrain locomotives (Source) ...
  
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  Rapid transit. ...
  
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  Light rail. ...
  
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  Modern streetcar. ...
  
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  General rail characteristics matrix.
  

The railway requires is large investment of capital. The cost of construction, maintenance and overhead expenses are very high as compared to other modes of transport. Moreover, the investments are specific and immobile. In case the traffic is not sufficient, the investments may mean wastage of huge resources.

The benefits of choosing rail transportation are: It is much faster and more reliable as it is least affected by weather conditions and traffic jams. Railway transport can carry larger volumes over greater distances, making it more economical, and much quicker for transporting.