Indian Railways
Indian Railways is the life-line of nation providing transportation facility over the length and breadth of country. It’s vision is to provide efficient, affordable, customer-focused, environmentally sustainable integrated transportation solutions and to be the vehicle of inclusive growth, connecting regions, communities, ports and centers of industry, commerce, tourism and pilgrimage across the country.
Civil Engineering infrastructure is the largest static infrastructure of Indian Railways comprising of track, bridges, land, etc. Management of this huge infrastructure has to be done in accordance with the organization’s vision. Civil engineering department of Indian Railways manages and maintains all these infrastructures. Further, it has key role in the area of infrastructure development, technological leap in various fields, high speed travel and development of world class stations.
Track and Bridges
As on 31.03.2009, the route length of Indian Railways covered 64,015 kms. With running track length of 86,937 kms. The total trackage including yards, sidings etc. stood at 113,115 kms. The table below shows the changing size of IR's rail network over the years.
| Year | Route kms. | Running track kms. | Total track kms # | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrified | Total | Electrified | Total | Electrified | Total | |
| 1950-51 | 388 | 53,596 | 937 | 59,315 | 1,253 | 77,609 |
| 1960-61 | 748 | 56,247 | 1,752 | 63,602 | 2,259 | 83,706 |
| 1970-71 | 3,706 | 59,790 | 7,447 | 71,669 | 9,586 | 98,546 |
| 1980-81 | 5,345 | 61,240 | 10,474 | 75,860 | 13,448 | 104,480 |
| 1990-91 | 9,968 | 62,367 | 18,954 | 78,607 | 25,305 | 108,858 |
| 2000-01 | 14,856 | 63,028 | 27,937 | 81,865 | 36,950 | 108,706 |
| 2005-06 | 17,907 | 63,332 | 33,540 | 84,370 | 44,815 | 109,808 |
| 2006-07 | 17,786 | 63,327 | 33,623 | 85,389 | 44,804 | 109,996 |
| 2007-08 | 18,274 | 63,273 | 34,700 | 85,158 | 47,296 | 111,599 |
| 2008-09 | 18,559 | 64,015 | 35,471 | 86,937 | 47,862 | 113,115 |
State-wise Route kms:
Followings table shows route kms. Of railway lines across various States/Union Territories at the end of 2008-09.
| State/Union Territory | Route kms. | State/Union Territory | Route kms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | 5,185 | Mizoram | 2 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 1 | Nagaland | 13 |
| Assam | 2,284 | Orissa | 2,385 |
| Bihar | 3,515 | Punjab | 2,133 |
| Chhatisgarh | 1,186 | Rajasthan | 5,854 |
| Delhi | 183 | Tamil Nadu | 4,107 |
| Goa | 69 | Tripura | 151 |
| Gujarat | 5,328 | Uttarakhand | 345 |
| Haryana | 1,553 | Uttar Pradesh | 8,703 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 285 | West Bengal | 3,890 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 239 | ||
| Jharkhand | 1,968 | ||
| Karnataka | 3,007 | ||
| Kerala | 1,050 | Union Territory | |
| Madhya Pradesh | 4,949 | Chandigarh | 16 |
| Maharashtra | 5,602 | Pondicherry | 11 |
| Manipur | 1 | ||
| Total | 64,015 | ||
Gauge-wise Details:
Route length as on 31.03.2009 on each gauge, indicating double/multiple line, single line and electrified route, is given below:
| Gauge | Single line | Double/multiple line | Grand Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrified | Non electrified | Total | Electrified | Non electrified | Total | ||
| Broad (1676 mm) | 4,707 | 29,929 | 34,636 | 13,852 | 4,320 | 18,172 | 52,808 |
| Metre (1000 mm) | - | 8,473 | 8,473 | - | - | - | 8,473 |
| Narrow (762 mm/610 mm) | - | 2,734 | 2,734 | - | - | - | 2,734 |
| Total | 4,707 | 41,136 | 45,843 | 13,852 | 4,320 | 18,172 | 64,015 |
Almost all double/multiple track sections and electrified routes are broad gauge. Metre and Narrow Gauges are mostly single line and non-electrified. Between 1950-51 and 2008-09, traffic density (million GT Kms. Per running track km.) increased from 5.24 to 28.42 on BG.
Bridges:
IR has 1,30,776 bridges, out of which 670 are important, 10,724 are major and 1,19,382 are minor bridges. In 2008-09, 1,388 bridges including 36 distressed bridges were rehabilitated/rebuilt.
Road Over/Under Bridges:
To improve the safety and reduce inconvenience to road users, busy level crossings are being replaced by Road Over/Under Bridges (ROBs/RUBs) gradually. The works of ROBs/RUBs in lieu of busy level crossings are sanctioned on cost sharing basis with the concerned State Governments/Local Authorities. During the year, a total of 38 works were completed on Zonal Railways.
As on 31st March, 2009 there are total 1,337 ROBs/RUBs works at various stages of planning and execution, out of which, 830 are sanctioned on cost sharing basis, 195 on deposit terms, 52 on Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis and 260 under NHDP and being constructed by NHAI as single entity.
Level crossings:
As on March 31,2009, IR maintained 34,220 level crossings, out of which 17,244 had gate-keepers and 16,976 crossings were unmanned. In 2008-09, 259 unmanned level crossings were provided with gate keepers.
Land Management:
IR owns about 4.31 lakh hectares of land, which is mainly used for locating operational and services infrastructure such as track, stations, workshops, staff colonies, etc.