Question.
Give a detailed account of the development of railways in India and highlight their importance.
(NCERT class 12 geography, India People and Economy, Chapter-10: Transport and Communication)
Answer.
India's railway network is one of the largest in the world. It is a cheap source of fares for travelers in India. The total railway network of India is about 63221 km.
Development of Railways in India:
- Indian Railways started in 1853 after the construction of a 34 km railway line from Bombay to Thane.
- Due to the huge network of railways, there is a lot of pressure on the management. For this, the entire railway system has been divided into 16 zones.
- Indian Railways had started a comprehensive program to convert meter and narrow gauge to broad gauge.
- Steam locomotives have been replaced with diesel and electric locomotives to increase speed, and haulage capacity and to make them more environmentally friendly.
- The completion of the Konkan Railway line in 1998 is the most important achievement of the Indian Railways. It is a 760 km long rail route connecting Roha in Maharashtra with Mangalore in Karnataka.
- In today's time, the metro railway has revolutionized the urban transport system and has replaced diesel and CNG-powered vehicles (mostly buses) to make the urban system pollution free.
- Kolkata Metro is the country's first metro rail which was started in 1984 and now more than 15 cities in India are covered by metro rail services. Delhi Metro services are the largest in India.
Following are the importance of Indian Railways:
- Indian Railways is the main means of transport for millions of Indians because it makes long-distance travel very cheap and it is a safer journey than other transport.
- It is best suited for carrying heavy cargo over long distances at an affordable cost.
- Indian Railways carries about 80% of the long-distance heavy cargo.
- The railway is also a medium to unite a diverse country like India.
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