India's first passenger train ran on 16 April 1853 between Bori Bunder (Mumbai) and Thane, 34 km. Railway Week is observed from 10 to 16 April every year to mark it. Indian Railways is run by the Ministry of Railways, headed by a Cabinet Minister assisted by one or more Ministers of State.
Railway Board
- The Railway Board, the apex administrative and executive body under the Minister, was set up in 1905. It also functions as the Ministry of Railways.
- After the Cabinet decision of 24.12.2019, the Board was reorganised on functional lines (Office Order No. 64 of 2020).
- The same Cabinet decision unified the eight organised Group A railway services into a single Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS).
- The Chairman has the status of Principal Secretary to the Government of India; Members are ex-officio Secretaries.
| Board Member | Main areas |
|---|---|
| Chairman & CEO (CRB) | HR, safety, security, health, planning, vigilance, public relations |
| Member (Infrastructure) | Works, civil engineering, bridges, signal & telecom, station development, railway electrification |
| Member (Traction & Rolling Stock) | Production units, workshops, locomotives, coaches, traction distribution, power supply, materials management |
| Member (Operations & Business Development) | Traffic, coaching, commercial, catering and tourism, marketing, IT |
| Member (Finance) | Accounts, finance, budget, revenue, statistics and economics |
Zones
Indian Railways has 18 zones, including Metro Railway Kolkata. The newest, South Coast Railway, started working from Visakhapatnam on 1 June 2026. Each zone is headed by a General Manager who reports to the Railway Board. Konkan Railway is a separate corporation, not a zone, though some lists count it as one.
| Zone | Headquarters |
|---|---|
| Central Railway | Mumbai (CSMT) |
| Eastern Railway | Kolkata |
| East Central Railway | Hajipur |
| East Coast Railway | Bhubaneswar |
| Northern Railway | New Delhi |
| North Central Railway | Prayagraj |
| North Eastern Railway | Gorakhpur |
| Northeast Frontier Railway | Maligaon (Guwahati) |
| North Western Railway | Jaipur |
| Southern Railway | Chennai |
| South Central Railway | Secunderabad |
| South Coast Railway | Visakhapatnam |
| South Eastern Railway | Kolkata (Garden Reach) |
| South East Central Railway | Bilaspur |
| South Western Railway | Hubballi |
| Western Railway | Mumbai (Churchgate) |
| West Central Railway | Jabalpur |
| Metro Railway | Kolkata |
Zonal and Divisional Set-up
| Department | Head at the zone |
|---|---|
| Personnel | Principal Chief Personnel Officer |
| Accounts | Principal Financial Adviser |
| Electrical | Principal Chief Electrical Engineer |
| Mechanical | Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer |
| Engineering | Principal Chief Engineer |
| Signal & Telecom | Principal Chief Signal & Telecom Engineer |
| Operating | Principal Chief Operations Manager |
| Commercial | Principal Chief Commercial Manager |
| Stores | Principal Chief Materials Manager |
| Medical | Principal Chief Medical Director |
| Security (RPF) | Principal Chief Security Commissioner |
- The General Manager is assisted by Additional General Managers, the Senior Deputy General Manager, Deputy General Managers and the Chief Public Relations Officer, besides the heads of departments.
- Each zone is divided into divisions headed by a Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), assisted by Additional DRMs and branch officers (Sr. DEE, Sr. DME, Sr. DEN, Sr. DOM, Sr. DCM, Sr. DSTE, Sr. DPO, Sr. DFM and others). Indian Railways has about 70 divisions.
Production Units
| Unit | Location | Makes |
|---|---|---|
| Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) | Chittaranjan, West Bengal | Electric locomotives |
| Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), formerly Diesel Locomotive Works | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | Electric and diesel locomotives |
| Patiala Locomotive Works (PLW), formerly Diesel Loco Modernisation Works | Patiala, Punjab | Electric locomotives |
| Integral Coach Factory (ICF) | Perambur, Chennai | Coaches and train sets |
| Rail Coach Factory (RCF) | Kapurthala, Punjab | Coaches |
| Modern Coach Factory (MCF) | Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh | Coaches |
| Rail Wheel Factory (RWF) | Bengaluru, Karnataka | Wheels and axles |
| Rail Wheel Plant | Bela, Chhapra, Bihar | Wheels |
| Electric Locomotive Factory (joint venture) | Madhepura, Bihar | High-power electric locomotives |
| Diesel Locomotive Factory (joint venture) | Marhowra, Bihar | High-power diesel locomotives |
Attached Offices and Allied Bodies
- RDSO (Research Designs & Standards Organisation), Lucknow: attached office, technical adviser for design and standardisation; headed by a Director General equal in rank to a GM.
- National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR), Vadodara: apex training institute for railway officers, supported by centralised institutes for civil, signal & telecom, electrical, mechanical and transport training.
- Railway Recruitment Boards (21) recruit Group C staff.
- Railway Rates Tribunal, Chennai: hears complaints of unreasonable rates or undue preference, and advises the GM on revision petitions of dismissed, removed or compulsorily retired Group C staff.
- Commission of Railway Safety: under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (kept separate from the Railways for independence); headed by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety at Lucknow; investigates serious accidents.
- Railway PSUs include RITES (consultancy), IRCON (construction), CRIS (IT), IRCTC (catering and tourism), CONCOR (container traffic), Konkan Railway Corporation, RVNL, IRFC (finance), RailTel and DFCCIL (dedicated freight corridors).
Exam Focus
First train 16 April 1853, Bori Bunder to Thane, 34 km; Railway Board 1905; Board restructured on functional lines after the Cabinet decision of 24.12.2019 (CRB & CEO plus four Members); 18 zones with South Coast Railway (Visakhapatnam) the newest; Commission of Railway Safety under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.