About DFCCIL/Railways (2025) by Saurabh Kr Pandey Part 03

Companies/PSUs under Ministry of Railways

 Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL)
 Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR) :- Head Office:
New Delhi
CONCOR (Navratna Company) is an Indian public sector undertaking which is
engaged in transportation and handling of containers. Incorporated in March
1988 under the Companies Act, CONCOR commenced operations in November
1989 taking over an existing network of seven inland container depots (ICDs)
from Indian Railways.
 IRCON International Limited (Navratna Company): Head Office: New
Delhi
Ircon International, or Indian Railway Construction International Limited
(IRCON), is an Indian engineering & construction corporation, specialized in
transport infrastructure. It was established in 1976, by the Indian
Railways under the Indian Companies Act 1956. Its primary charter was the
construction of railway projects in India and abroad. Ircon has since diversified
into other transport and infrastructure segments and with its expanded scope of
operations around the world, the name was changed to Indian Railway
International Ltd. in October 1995. The Ministry of Finance conferred
‘Navratna’ status on Ircon International in year 2023.
The Ircon is well known for undertaking challenging infrastructure projects,
especially in difficult terrains in India and abroad. Ircon has completed over
1650 major infrastructure projects in India and over 900 major projects across
the globe in more than 31 countries.
 Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC)
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) is a
'Navratna' listed company under Ministry of Railways and is the professional
hospitality and travel arm of Indian Railways incorporate for upgradation of
catering services over Indian Railways and promote rail-bound domestic and
inbound tourism in the country. IRCTC was incorporated on 27th September,
1999 as an extended arm of the Indian Railways to upgrade, professionalize and
manage the catering and hospitality services at stations, on trains and other
locations and to promote domestic and international tourism through
development of budget hotels, special tour packages, information commercial
publicity and global reservation systems. It’s registered and Corporate Office is
situated at New Delhi.
 Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC): Head Office: - New
Delhi
It was set up on 12th December, 1986 as the dedicated financing arm of the
Indian Railways for mobilizing funds from domestic as well as overseas Capital
Markets. IRFC is a Navratna company under the administrative control of the
Ministry of Railways. It is also registered as Systemically Important Non–
Deposit taking Non Banking Financial Company (NBFC – ND-SI) and
Infrastructure Finance Company (NBFC- IFC) with Reserve Bank of India.
In more than 30 years of existence, IRFC has played a significant role in
supporting the expansion of the Indian Railways and related entities by
financing a significant proportion of its annual plan outlay.
 Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL): Head Office: - New Delhi
RVNL is a Navratna PSU under the administrative control of the Ministry of
Railways. It is an central Public Sector Undertaking which works as the
construction arm of the Railways for project implementation and transportation
infrastructure development. It was incorporated in 2003 to meet the country's
surging infrastructural requirements and to implement projects on a fast-track
basis as well as for creating a Railway equipment construction company.
 RailTel Corporation of India Limited:- Head Office: - New Delhi
RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. is an Navaratna Public Sector Undertaking
which provides broadband and VPN services. RailTel was formed in September
2000 with the objective of creating a nationwide broadband, telecom and
multimedia network, and to modernise train control operation and safety system
of Indian Railways. RailTel's network passes through around 5,000 stations
across the country, covering all major commercial centres.
Note:- RailWire is community based broadband internet service provided by
RailTel in partnership with more than 11,000+ communities in India. Incepted
in 2008, RailWire broadband is delivered all over India through 62,000+ km
optic fiber network running through exclusive right of way along railway tracks.
RailWire is a retail Broadband initiative of the RailTel and it envisages
extending broadband and application services to the public. RailTel is working
to establish bringing fast and free Wi-Fi at all stations in association with
Google as the technology partner.
 Integral Coach Factory, Chennai
Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is an Indian manufacturer of rolling stock,
and electrical multiple units. 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.
 Rail India Technical and Economic Service Limited (RITES) Head
Office: - Gurugram
RITES Limited is a Navratna and Schedule A enterprise which operates under
the Ministry of Railways. It was registered as a multidisciplinary engineering
and consultancy firm in the field of transport infrastructure and other relevant
technologies in April 1974.
The company undertakes consultancy, engineering, and project management
activities in different sectors such as railways, highways, metros, tunnels,
bridges, urban development, airports, ports, passenger ropeways, and inland
waterway ports. Additionally, RITES is also a major exporter of Indian
Railways rolling stock comprising locomotives, coaches, and train sets.
 Konkan Railway Corporation Limited
 Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVC)
 Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS)
Railways Institutions:
Indian Railways is the largest civilian employer in the world at approximately
1.2 million employees.Training of all the management cadres is entrusted and
shared between these institutes.
 Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications:
Secunderabad (Telangana)
 Indian Railways Institute of Civil Engineering (IRICEN): Pune
 Indian Railways Institute of Electrical Engineering (IRIEEN): Nashik
  Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
(IRIMEE): Jamalpur
 Indian Railways Institute of Transport Management (IRITM): Lucknow
 National Academy of Indian Railways (formerly known as Railway Staff
College): Vadodara
 Railway Protection Force (RPF) Academy, Lucknow, for officers
of Railway Protection Force.
 Indian Railways Institute of Financial Management: Secunderabad
 Indian Railways Track Machine Training Center: Prayagraj
LIST OF Production Units on Indian Railways
S.No. Name of PU Place where situated
1. Chittaranjan Locomotive Works Chittaranjan
2. Diesel Locomotive Works Varanasi
3. Integral Coach Factory Chennai
4. Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala
5. Rail Wheel Factory Bangalore
6. Diesel Loco Modernisation Works Patiala
Note:-
 Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli (formerly Rail Coach Factory,
Raebareli) or MCF Raebareli: It is a rail coach manufacturing unit of
the Indian Railways at Lalganj near Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. The
factory was inaugurated on 7 November 2012. MCF Raebareli is one of
the most advanced coach manufacturing unit of the world it is equipped
with the many state of the art industrial robots and machines.
 Rail Wheel Plant, Bela: It is an independent production unit of Indian
Railways situated in the Bela gram panchayat of Saran district of Bihar. It
was inaugurated in 2008.
 RDSO (Research Designs and Standards Organisation): To enforce
standardization and co-ordination amongst various railway systems, the
Indian Railway Conference Association (IRCA) was set up in 1903,
followed by the Central Standards Office (CSO) was set up at Shimla in
1930, for preparation of designs, standards and specifications. However,
till independence, most of the designs and manufacture of railway
equipments was entrusted to foreign consultants. With Independence and
 the resultant phenomenal increase in country’s industrial and economic
activity, which increased the demand of rail transportation - a new
organisation called Railway Testing and Research Centre (RTRC) was
setup in 1952 at Lucknow, for testing and conducting applied research for
development of railway rolling stock, permanent way etc. Central
Standards Office (CSO) and the Railway Testing and Research Centre
(RTRC) were integrated into a single unit named Research Designs and
Standards Organisation (RDSO) in 1957, under Ministry of Railways at
Lucknow.
The Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO) is
the research and development and railway technical
specification development organisation, which functions as a technical
adviser and consultant to the Railway Board, the Zonal Railways, the
Railway Production Units, RITES, RailTel and Ircon International in
respect of design and standardization of railway equipment and problems
related to railway construction, operations and maintenance.
About Indian Railways
Logo: The blue circle symbolizes unity, completeness, and connectivity, while
the 17 stars represent the 17 railway zones that existed when the logo was
designed. The logo, in its entirety, signifies the extensive and interconnected
railway network of India

The Mascot (Bholu) (2002 – Present)

One of the most recognisable symbols associated with Indian Railways is
Bholu, the elephant mascot. It was introduced in 2002 to commemorate the
150th anniversary of the Railways and designed by the National Institute of
Design. It was adopted by the Railways as an official mascot in 2003. Bholu
represents an elephant holding a signal lamp to symbolise safety & movement.
Vision:
Indian Railways shall provide safe, efficient, affordable, customer focussed and
environmentally sustainable integrated transportation solutions. It shall be a
modern vehicle of inclusive growth, connecting regions, communities, ports and
centres of industry, commerce, tourism and pilgrimage across the country.
Mission:
The mission areas identified for realizing the main objectives stated in the
Vision are the following:
1. To augment the capacity to handle freight services by constructing new lines,
laying double lines where necessary and through signaling improvements.
2. To take up necessary works to ease bottlenecks in the transportation network
so as to achieve higher speed and throughput.
3 To induct modern rolling stock to derive the benefit of upto date technology.
4. To monitor the system of grievance redressal so that the level of satisfaction
among rail users improves.
5. To monitor closely all aspects earnings and expenditure so that the
organisation functions in an efficient and cost effective manner.
6. To constantly upgrade the facilities extended to passengers and to minimize
the adverse environmental impact of the organisation’s activities .
7. To constantly strive to improve the working and living conditions of our
employees.
8. To continuously innovate and stay up to date in terms of technological
advancement and to achieve the best possible standards of safety in train
operations at all times.
More Information:
As of 2024, Indian Railways manages the fourth largest national railway system
(After USA, China, Russia) by size with a track length of 135,207 km, running
track length of 109,748 km (68,194 mi) and route length of 69,181 km
(42,987 mi). As of August 2024, 96.59% of the broad-gauge network
is electrified. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is the world's ninth-
largest employer and India's second largest employer after Indian armed Forces.

Indian Railways is a multi-gauge, multi-traction system covering the following:

Broad Meter
Gauge Gauge Narrow Gauge
Track Total
(1676 (1000 (762/610 mm)
Kilometers mm) mm)
86,526 18,529 3,651 109,748

Route Electrified Total

Kilometers 16,001 63,028
Indian Railways runs various classes of express, passengers and suburban trains.
In 2023–24, it operated 13,198 trains on average daily covering 7,325 stations
and carried 6.905 billion passengers. Indian Railways also operates different
classes of rail freight transport. In 2023–24, it operated 11,724 freight trains on
average daily and transported 1588.06 million tonnes of freight.
What is Rail Gauge?
Rail gauge is a fundamental concept in the railway industry. It refers to the
spacing of the rails on a railway track and is measured between the inner faces
of the load-bearing rails.
Rail Gauge
The gauge determines the width and stability of the railway track, which in turn
impacts the size and design of the rail vehicles that can operate on the track.
Over 60% of the world's railway network uses the standard gauge of 1435 mm.
India has four distinct kinds of railway gauges:
 Broad gauge
 Meter gauge
 Narrow gauge
 Standard gauge (specifically used for the Delhi Metro)
Broad gauge:
 Broad gauge is a railway track configuration where the separation
between the two tracks in these railway gauges is 1676 mm.
o Any gauge above the conventional gauge measurement of 1,435
mm is often referred to as a broad gauge.
 The first railway line constructed in India was a wide gauge track from
Bore Bunder (now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal, Mumbai) to
Thane in the year 1853.
 The use of broad-gauge railway systems is also seen at port facilities for
the purpose of accommodating cranes and other related equipment.
 Thicker gauges provide enhanced stability and surpass thinner gauges in
terms of performance.
Meter gauge:
 The separation between the two tracks is 1,000 mm.
 The installation of meter-gauge lines was undertaken with the objective
of minimising expenses.
 Under the Unigauge project, it is planned to convert all meter gauge
lines in India, except the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (a historical railway
operating on a meter gauge) into a wide gauge.
Narrow gauge:
 The smaller gauge is sometimes referred to as a narrow or little line.
 The narrow-gauge railway refers to a kind of railway track characterised
by a distance of 762 mm and 610 mm between the two tracks.
Standard gauge:
 The railway gauge in question exhibits a distance of 1435 mm between its
two tracks.
 In the context of rail transportation systems in India, it is observed that
the standard gauge is only used for urban rail transit systems such as
Metro, Monorail, and Tram.
 In metropolitan regions, it is preferable to construct metro lines only
using the standard gauge due to the greater accessibility of rolling
equipment for this gauge.

Facts about Indian Railways

 For the first time, Indian Railways has introduced an ATM (Bank of
Maharashtra) inside a train, allowing passengers on the Mumbai-Manmad
Panchavati Express to withdraw cash during their journey. Central
Railway (CR) has introduced this to make travel more convenient.
 The Fairy Queen is the oldest functioning steam engine in the world. It is
plying between New Delhi and Alwar in Rajasthan.
 Four sites of Indian Railways have been declared as “World Heritage
sites” by the UNESCO. They are Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri
Mountain, Mumbai CST, and Kalka-Shimla Railways.
 Indian Railways was nationalized in 1951
 According to the Acworth Committee in 1920-21, the railway finances of
India were separated from the general government finances in 1924.
 On 21 September 2016, Modi government approved merger of the Rail
and General budgets on the recommendation of Bibek Debroy committee.
 On 8th March, 2021 – The first woman driver of Indian Railways,
Surekha Yadav drove all women-staffed Mumbai-Lucknow Special train
on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
 Trains like Palace on Wheels, Maharajas’ Express, and The Deccan
Odyssey offer luxurious travel experiences similar to five-star hotels.
 Indian Railways is on its way to becoming the first fully electric railway
network by 2030.
 The Lifeline Express, or Jeevan Rekha Express, is a hospital train in
India that has been running since 16 July 1991. It was a collaboration
between the Impact India Foundation (IIF), Indian Railways (IR) and
the Health Ministry. The train has made a health impact both in India, as
well as around the world where it has inspired similar initiatives.
 Indian Railways launches new ‘RailOne’ app with an aim to bring more
convenience to passengers. RailOne launched by railways as a one stop
app for all railway related queries and needs. The new RailOne app will
host all passenger services in one booking IRCTC reserved, unreserved
and platform tickets, tracking PNR and train status, coach position, Rail
Madad and travel feedback.
 The Ministry of Railways has released the mobile app "Rail MADAD
(Mobile Application for Desired Assistance During travel)" to expedite
and streamline passenger grievance redressal. Rail Madad is part of the
Railway Passenger Grievance Redressal and Management System
(RPGRAMS) of Indian Railways.
 The Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited has
powered voice-enabled Ask DISHA (Digital Interaction to Seek Help
Anytime) Chatbot to converse with customers in the Hindi language. The
customers can now ask queries to Ask DISHA in Hindi by voice as well
as text. Ask Disha is an AI -based chatbot which was initially launched in
the English language in October 2018. It is a first-of-its-kind initiative by
IRCTC which aims to benefit the users of the ticketing and tourism
websites of IRCTC to resolve queries of railway passengers over the
internet pertaining to various services offered.
 The UMID (or Ummeed) scheme of Railways is intended as a way to
improve medical beneficiary service delivery. This service is much
helpful for Indian Railway employees or officer. UMID is a smart
Medical Identity Card provided to the PENSIONER and each dependent,
individually & independently, and has a unique all-India number.
 Project Saksham (launched in 2017) is the country's largest time
bound "up skilling exercise" to boost the efficiency & productivity of
the Employees of the Indian railways. It aims to upgrade the skill sets of
around 13 Lakhs workforce with a single drive spanning nine months.
 In 2020, Haldibari – Chilahati rail link jointly inaugurated by the PM of India and
Bangladesh. Recently, The Government of two countries also signed MoU for railway
project linking Akhaurah (Bangladesh) and Agartala (Tripura). The project is
expected to be completed soon.
  The Raxaul–Kathmandu railway line is a proposed cross-border
railway between India and Nepal.
North Eastern Railway Connectivity Project
It is an multi phased railway connectivity project in Northeast India which
comprises states of Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura &
Sikkim. These states come under Northeast Frontier Railway Zone of Indian
Railways. This Railway project is considered as strategically important for India
because it connects all the border states in this region and also close
to ASEAN countries. The Government of India has planned and projected to
connect all capitals of North Eastern states by 2030.
The region currently has 6,829 km of rail network mostly in the state of Assam.
Currently the three capitals Guwahati, Itanagar and Agartala are linked with
railways. In 2023, various deluxe trains begans operations connecting major
locations such as Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati (Assam), Kaziranga National
Park in Assam, Unakoti in Tripura, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, and Dimapur in
Nagaland.

Under construction Projects in North East

Length
Project Location States (in
km)
Sivok– From Sivok, Darjeeling district(WB) West
44.96
Rangpo line To Rangpo, Pakyong district(SK) Bengal and Sikkim
From Bairabi, Kolasib district
Bairabi–
Mizoram 51.38
Sairang line
To Sairang, Aizawl district
From Jiribam, Jiribam district
Jiribam–
Manipur 110.63
Imphal line
To Imphal, Imphal district
From Dhansiri(Dimapur), Dimapur
Dhansiri– district
Nagaland 82.5
Zubza line
To Zubza,Kohima district
From Tetelia(Guwahati), Kamrup
Tetelia- district
Assam & Meghalaya 22
Byrnihat line
To Byrnihat, Ri-Bhoi district