The bustling world of Indian Railways

The Indian Railways is one of the world's largest railway networks comprising 115,000 km of track over a route of 65,000 km and 7,500 stations.

Railways were first introduced in India in 1853 from Bombay to Thane. In 1951 the system was nationalised, making Indian Railways one of the largest networks in the world.

The train services are used by over 25 million passengers daily (over 9 billion on an annual basis). Indian Railways is the world's ninth largest commercial employer, with over 1.4 million employees.

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The first railway on Indian sub-continent operated over a stretch of 21 miles from Bombay to Thane.

The idea of a railway to connect Bombay with Thane, Kalyan and with the Thal and Bhore Ghats inclines first occurred to George Clark, the Chief Engineer of the Bombay government, during a visit to Bhandup in 1843. 

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The Railway service was formally inaugurated on 16 April 1853, when 14 railway carriages carrying about 400 guests left Bori Bunder, Mumbai.

The first passenger train steamed out of Howrah station to Hooghly, a distance of 24 miles, on 15 August, 1854.

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In the south, the first line was opened on I July, 1856 by the Madras Railway Company. It ran between Vyasarpadi Jeeva Nilayam (Veyasarpandy) and Walajah Road (Arcot), a distance of 63 miles.

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In the North, a length of 119 miles of line was laid from Allahabad to Kanpur on 3 March 1859. The first section from Hathras Road to Mathura Cantonment was opened to traffic on 19th October, 1875.

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Passenger revenue has been steadily increasing, though it formed only about 27% of the total earnings of the Railways in 2011-12.

The passenger revenue stood at Rs 28,246.43 crore (Rs 282.46 billion) from Rs 8,27.47 crore (Rs 8.27 billion) in 1980-81.

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Telecom, tourism and railways have been the best performers in services sector in India, according to the the 2012-13 Economic Survey.

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A train passes through slums in Mumbai. 

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A suburban train passes through slums in Mumbai. 

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Commuters stand by the open doors of a suburban train as it goes over a bridge in the outskirts of Mumbai. 

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Commuters cross the tracks to reach the other side of the platform in Allahabad.

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A worker is pictured at the newly built railway track in Allahabad.

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Homemade alcohol containers hang from a train window as people hang from the doors and windows at Parsha Bazar railway station in Bihar.

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A bicycle hangs from the window of a train at Parsha Bazar railway station in Bihar. 

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Empty milk containers hang from the window of a train in Uttar Pradesh. 

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Commuters struggle to board a train at Noli railway station in Uttar Pradesh. 

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Kanpur Central Railway Station is reflected on a ticket counter in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. 

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A woman keeps her child on the ticket counter as she buys a train ticket at Allahabad railway station.

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Vendors carry food to sell inside a train at Agra Cantt Railway Station in Agra. 

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A boy drinks tea in the early morning inside a train at Agra Cantt Railway Station in Agra. 

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Children travel on a train heading from Agra to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. 

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Commuters travel in a train heading from Agra to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh

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A child sits on the floor of a train heading towards Allahabad from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. 

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A man watches a film on his laptop as the train heads towards Agra from Delhi. 

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Commuters travel by suburban train as they head toward their destination in Mumbai. 

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Train driver TS Unnikrishnan Nair, 60, who has been working for Indian Railways for 40 years, lies on a bed in the train drivers' rest area at Kalyan Railway Station in Mumbai. 

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An employee works in the control room of Kalyan Railway Station in Mumbai. 

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TS Unnikrishnan Nair, undergoes a breathalyser test, a standard procedure for all train drivers, before going to work at Kalyan Railway Station in Mumbai.

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TS Unnikrishnan Nair, is reflected in a speedometer as he drives his train from Kalyan Railway Station toward Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station in Mumbai. 

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Train driver Ts Unnikrishnan Nair, operates the train from Kalyan Railway Station toward Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station in Mumbai.