Introduction: -Rail services in India, first introduced in 1853, are provided by the state-run
Indian Railways, under the supervision of the Ministry of Railways, Indian
Railways provides an important mode of transport in India, transporting over 18
million passengers and more than 2 million tons of freight daily across one of
the largest and busiest rail network in the world. Transportation of goods and
passengers on rail lines through trains is called rail transport. Rail
transport occupies an important place in land transport system of our country
and is the most dependable mode of transport to carry goods and passengers over
a long distance safely.
The Mumbai
Suburban Railway is the first rail system in India which began services in
Mumbai in 1867. Transports 6.3 million passengers daily and has
the highest passenger density in the world.
MONORAIL:- Monorail in
India are generally considered as feeder system for the Metro. The Mumbai
Monorail will be the first monorail in India. The first modern rapid transit in
India was the Kolkata Metro, with operations started in 1984. Chennai MRTS
in 1997 Delhi Metro in 2002. The Namma Metro in
Bangalore in 2012. Currently,
rapid systems have been deployed in these cities and more are under
construction or in planning in several major cities of India.
Proposals
have been made to introduce high-speed rail in India. A proposal has been made
to build a Maglev track within the city of Mumbai,
connecting it to the national Capital of New Delhi, as well as other parts of
Maharashtra in the form of Mumbai Maglev.
Advantages of Rail
Transport: -Rail transport has the following advantages
1. It is a convenient mode of transport for travelling
long distance.
2. It is comparatively faster than road transport.
3.
It
is suitable for carrying heavy goods in large quantities for long distances.
4.
Its
operation is less affected by adverse weather conditions like rain, floods,
fog, etc.
5.
It
ensures safety and security of goods. Even costly and delicate goods can be
sent by Rail.
Limitation of Rail
Transport: -Rail transport has the following limitations.
1. It is relatively
expensive for carrying goods and passengers over short distances.
2. It is not
available in remote parts of the country.
3. It provides
services according to fixed time schedule and is not flexible for loading or
unloading of goods at any place.
4. It involves heavy
losses of life as well as goods in case of accident.
5. It does not
provide door to door services. It does not reach remote areas.
