Rail transport in India consists of primarily of passenger and freight shipments along an integrated rail network. Indian Railways (IR), a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India, operates India's national railway system. It is the primary owner and operator of rail operations throughout the country including suburban rail in major metros.
The Mumbai Suburban Railway consists of exclusive inner suburban railway lines augmented by commuter rail on main lines serving outlying suburbs to serve the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Spread over 450 kilometres (280 mi), the suburban railway operates 2,342 train services and carries more than 7.5 million commuters daily.
The Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the Kolkata Metropolitan Region in West Bengal, India. Opened in 1984, it was the first operational rapid transit system in India. Currently it is the second busiest and fifth longest rapid transit system in India. As of now, it has one fully operational, and three partly operational lines for a total of 59.38 km (36.90 mi). Two other lines are in various phases of construction and planning. The system has a mix of underground, at-grade, and elevated stations using both broad-gauge and standard-gauge tracks. It operates on a 750 V DC Third rail system. Trains operate between 06:50 and 22:40 IST and the fares range from ₹5 to ₹50.
Integral Coach Factory is an Indian manufacturer of rail coaches. Established in 1955, it is located in Perambur in Chennai and is the largest rail coach manufacturer in the world. It is owned and operated by the Indian Railways and is the oldest amongst the five rake production units of the Indian Railways. While the facility initially manufactured ICF coaches, it currently manufactures LHB coaches and electric multiple units including the semi-high speed Vande Bharat train-sets.
The Kolkata Suburban Railway is a suburban and regional rail system serving the Kolkata metropolitan area and its surroundings in West Bengal, India. Its network has 458 stations and a track length of 1,501 km (933 mi) making it the largest suburban railway network in the country, and also one of the largest in the world. There are five main lines and nineteen branch lines. It operates more than 1,500 services, carrying 3.5 million people daily and 1.2 billion people every year. It runs from IST 03:00 am until 02:00 am approximately and fares range from Rs.5 to Rs.25. The system is electrified with 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead line and runs on 5 ft 6 in broad gauge track. It has interchange stations with the Kolkata Metro at various locations.
Kolkata the Capital of the Indian state of West Bengal has a good transportation system. Kolkata's transport system is diverse, with a mix of modern and traditional modes of transport catering to the city's large population.
The Chennai Suburban Railway is a commuter rail system in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, operated by the Southern Railways branch of Indian Railways. It is the second largest suburban rail network in terms of route length and the third largest in terms of commuters in India. Around 1,000 services are operated daily between 4:00 a.m. and midnight. It is the longest suburban circular route in India covering of 235.5 km (146.3 mi).
The Garib Rath trains are a series of no-frills trains operated by Indian Railways to provide air-conditioned train travel at a cheaper rate compared to regular trains. Garib Rath Express trains primarily operate on long-distance routes, connecting major cities and important railway stations across different states in India. These trains are designed to cover extensive distances, often traversing several hundred kilometers in a single journey.
Urban rail transit in India plays an important role in intracity transportation in the major cities which are highly populated. It consists of Regional Rapid Transit System, suburban rail, monorail, and tram systems.
Kavi Subhash is the at-grade southern terminus and interchange metro station of the North-South corridor and Bypass Corridor of Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is named after poet Subhash Mukhopadhyay. This station was opened to public on the auspicious day of Mahalaya in 2010.
Esplanade is an underground interchange metro station on the north–south corridor of the Blue Line and on the east–west corridor of the Green Line of Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. This station, which is the biggest in the city, is located in the Esplanade neighbourhood of Kolkata, at the northern end of Chowringhee Road/Jawaharlal Nehru Road near New Market and the Oberoi Grand hotel. It opened in 1984 as part of what is now Kolkata Metro Line 1. The station is re-designed to be the largest station of the metro and will function as the interchange station between Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3. The Line-2 complex, built below the Line-1 complex was completed and inaugurated on 6 March 2024. The Line-2 complex is designed with world class amenities and murals that depict the culture, tradition, sports, monuments, important structures, etc. in them.
Blue Line is a rapid transit metro line of the Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It consists of 26 operational stations from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash, out of which 9 of the stations are elevated, 2 are at-grade and the remaining 15 are underground. With a total distance of 32.13 km (19.96 mi), the line connects Dakshineswar and New Garia and uses 5 ft 6 in broad gauge tracks. This line was the first underground railway to be built in India, with the first operations commencing in October 1984 and the full stretch that was initially planned being operational by February 1995. On 28 December 2010, Kolkata Metro became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways. Being the country's first, and a completely indigenous process, the construction of the Kolkata Metro Blue Line was more of a trial-and-error affair, in contrast to the Delhi Metro, which has seen the involvement of numerous international consultants. As a result, it took nearly 23 years to completely construct around 15 km (9.3 mi) underground railway from Birpara up to Tollygunge.
Green Line is a rapid transit metro line of the Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It currently consists of two distinctly operational sections from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah, and Esplanade to Howrah Maidan by going underneath the Hooghly River. A future eastern extension from Sector-V to Teghoria is planned. It will cover a distance of 22 km (14 mi) and consist of 17 stations from Teghoria (Haldiram) in the east to Howrah Maidan in the west, of which it will consist of 11 elevated and 6 underground stations, and the operational section consists of 6 elevated and 6 underground stations, with a total distance of 13.1 km (8.1 mi). It is expected to derive a very high ridership, since it will connect India's two largest commuter railway and long-distance railway terminals, Howrah and Sealdah, along with two of its largest business districts, BBD Bagh and Salt Lake Sector V. At present, more than 100,000 passengers commute through the line every day, and this figure is expected to go up to 1 million after it gets fully completed by 2035. It will also connect the industrial hub of Kolkata, i.e., Howrah and the IT hub of Kolkata, i.e., Salt Lake Sector-V. It has interchange with Blue Line at Esplanade and will eventually connect with Purple and Orange Lines.
Double Decker Express are a series of trains started by Indian Railways for shorter routes in order to serve more people than a traditional chair car carriage.
New Garia railway station is a Kolkata Suburban Railway station on the Main line. It is under the jurisdiction of the Sealdah railway division in the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. It serves the local area of New Garia in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Purple Line is a rapid transit metro line of the Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. A 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) stretch from Joka to Taratala of this line was inaugurated on 30 December 2022 and after extended to Majerhat on 6 March 2024. This line will span 16.67 kilometres (10.36 mi) from Joka in the south to Esplanade in the north. It has interchange with Blue Line at Park Street in central Kolkata and run parallel with Blue Line up to Esplanade where it has an interchange with Green Line. It is being built by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited.
Orange Line is a rapid transit metro line of the Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It will connect New Garia with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport via two major satellite towns of Kolkata metropolitan region, Salt Lake and New Town. It currently operates between Kavi Subhash and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay. This line will be one of the most important stretches of Kolkata Metro because it will connect the southern and the eastern parts of the city with Kolkata Airport. The total distance of this route will be 29.87 km (18.56 mi). It has an interchange with Blue Line at Kavi Subhash and will eventually connect with Green Line near IT Centre and Yellow Line at Jai Hind.
Joka is the elevated southern terminal metro station on the North-South corridor of the Purple Line of Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The station is located in Joka. It will be the terminal station of the Kolkata Metro Line 3 till the phase 2 of the project. In phase 3, the line will be extended 2 km more, till Diamond Park. The station was commissioned on 30 December 2022.
The South Eastern Line of Kolkata Suburban Railway is a suburban railway line serving Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It consists of 37 stations from Howrah Junction to Midnapore. The entire line is at grade level. It has section of triple track starting from Howrah Junction and ends at Midnapore, Amta, Haldia and Digha stations in West Bengal.
Hemanta Mukhopadhyay is a Metro station of Line 6 of the Kolkata Metro at Ruby Crossing, serving the areas of E.M. Bypass, Kasba and Anandapur. The station is named in honour of the Indian Bengali playback singer Hemanta Mukhopadhyay.
