Indian Railways

Indian Railways Logo
Type	Government-owned corporation
Industry	Railways
Founded	16 April 1853 (1853-04-16)[1]
Headquarters	New Delhi, India
Area served	India
Key people	Mukul Roy Minister of Railways Vinay Mittal (Chairman)[2]
Services	Passenger railways freight services bus transportation travel agency services parking lot operations other related services
Revenue	106,647 crore (US$21.28 billion) (2011–12)[3]
Net income	9,610 crore (US$1.92 billion) (2011–12)[3]
Owner(s)	Government of India (100%)
Employees	Approx. 1.4 million (2011)[4]
Divisions	17 Railway Zones
Website	www.indianrailways.gov.in

Indian Railways (reporting mark IR) is an Indian state-owned railway company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is owned and operated by the Government of India through the Ministry of Railways. Indian Railways has 114,500 kilometres (71,147 mi).^[4] of total track over a route of 65,000 kilometres (40,389 mi)^[4] and 7,500 stations. It has the world's fourth largest railway network after those of the United States, Russia and China.^[5] The railways carry over 30 million passengers and 2.8 million tons of freight daily.^[4]In 2011-2012 Railway earnt Rs 104278.79 crores which consists of Rs 69675.97 crores from freight and 28645.52 crores from passengers tickets. ^[6]

Indian Railways is the world's fourth largest commercial or utility employer, by number of employees, with over 1.4 million employees.^[4] after Wal-Mart with 2.1 million employees, China National Petroleum Corporation with 1.61 million employees and State Grid Corporation of China with 1.53 million employees. ^[7] As for rolling stock, IR owns over 229,381 Freight Wagons, 59,713 Passenger Coaches and 9,213 Locomotives.^[8]

Railways were first introduced to India in 1853. By 1947, the year of India's independence, there were forty-two rail systems. In 1951 the systems (many of which were already government-owned) were nationalized as one unit, the Indian Railways, becoming one of the largest networks in the world. IR operates both long distance and suburban rail systems on a multi-gauge network of broad, metre and narrow gauges. It also owns locomotive and coach production facilities. The Indian railways is proposing to build the highest railway track in the world overtaking the current record of the Beijing-Lhasa Railway line.^[9][10]

History[link]

India's first train run between Mumbai and Thane

The B.B. & C.I. Railway Head Offices, 1905

The history of rail transport in India began in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1849, there was not a single kilometer of railway line in India. A British engineer, Robert Maitland Brereton, was responsible for the expansion of the railways from 1857 onwards. The Allahabad-Jubbulpore branch line of the East Indian Railway had been opened in June 1867. Brereton was responsible for linking this with the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, resulting in a combined network of 6,400 km (4,000 mi). Hence it became possible to travel directly from Bombay to Calcutta. This route was officially opened on 7th March 1870 and it was part of the inspiration for French writer Jules Verne's book Around the World in Eighty Days. At the opening ceremony, the Viceroy Lord Mayo concluded that “it was thought desirable that, if possible, at the earliest possible moment, the whole country should be covered with a network of lines in a uniform system”. ^[11]

By 1875, about £95 million were invested by British companies in Indian guaranteed railways.^[12] By 1880 the network had a route mileage of about 14,500 km (9,000 mi), mostly radiating inward from the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. By 1895, India had started building its own locomotives, and in 1896 sent engineers and locomotives to help build the Uganda Railways.

In 1900, the GIPR became a government owned company. The network spread to the modern day states of Assam, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh and soon various independent kingdoms began to have their own rail systems. In 1901, an early Railway Board was constituted, but the powers were formally invested under Lord Curzon.^[13] It served under the Department of Commerce and Industry and had a government railway official serving as chairman, and a railway manager from England and an agent of one of the company railways as the other two members. For the first time in its history, the Railways began to make a profit.

In 1907 almost all the rail companies were taken over by the government. The following year, the first electric locomotive made its appearance. With the arrival of World War I, the railways were used to meet the needs of the British outside India. With the end of the war, the railways were in a state of disrepair and collapse.

In 1920, with the network having expanded to 61,220 km, a need for central management was mooted by Sir William Acworth. Based on the East India Railway Committee chaired by Acworth, the government took over the management of the Railways and detached the finances of the Railways from other governmental revenues.

The period between 1920 to 1929 was a period of economic boom, there were 41,000 miles of railway line serving every district in the country. At that point of time, the railways represented a capital value of some 687 millions sterling, and they carried over 620 millions of passengers and approximately 90 million tons of goods each year.^[14] Following the Great Depression, the company suffered economically for the next eight years. The Second World War severely crippled the railways. Trains were diverted to the Middle East and the railways workshops were converted to ammunitions workshops. By 1946 all rail systems had been taken over by the government.

Organizational structure[link]

Railway zones[link]

Indian Railways headquarters Delhi

CR's headquarters Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

NR's headquarters New Delhi Railway Station

Southern Railway headquarters, Chennai

Western Railway HQ, Mumbai

Indian Railways is divided into several zones, which are further sub-divided into divisions. The number of zones in Indian Railways increased from six to eight in 1951, nine in 1952 to sixteen in 2003 then to seventeen in 2010.^[15][16] Each zonal railway is made up of a certain number of divisions, each having a divisional headquarters. There are a total of sixty-eight divisions.^[4][17]

Each of the seventeen zones is headed by a General Manager (GM) who reports directly to the Railway Board. The zones are further divided into divisions under the control of Divisional Railway Managers (DRM). The divisional officers of engineering, mechanical, electrical, signal and telecommunication, accounts, personnel, operating, commercial and safety branches report to the respective Divisional Manager and are in charge of operation and maintenance of assets. Further down the hierarchy tree are the Station Masters who control individual stations and the train movement through the track territory under their stations' administration.

Recruitment and training[link]

Staff are classified into gazetted (Group 'A' and 'B') and non-gazetted (Group 'C' and 'D') employees.^[18] The recruitment of Group 'A' gazetted employees is carried out by the Union Public Service Commission through exams conducted by it.^[19] The recruitment to Group 'C' and 'D' employees on the Indian Railways is done through 19 Railway Recruitment Boards which are controlled by the Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB).^[20] The training of all cadres is entrusted and shared between six centralized training institutes. These are following list of Group A services which are recruited by the UPSC(Union Public Service Commission ) of India

UPSC Civil Services Exam
1) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’.
2) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group 'A'.
3) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’.
4) Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’

UPSC Engineering Services Exam
1) Indian Railway Service of Engineers, Group ‘A’
2) Indian Railway Stores Service, Group ‘A’
3) Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers, Group ‘A’
4) Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers, Group ‘A’
5) Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers, Group ‘A’

UPSC Special Class Railway Apprentice Examination for recruitment to the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers

Production units[link]

A modern pantograph. The device shown is technically a half-pantograph.

CLW made WAP-5 30022(CLW made WAP-5 locos don't have fluted body shell) rests at Bhopal

WDP4 Diesel Locomotive Baaz which is now at New Jalpaiguri

Indian Railways manufactures much of its rolling stock and heavy engineering components at its six manufacturing plants, called Production Units, which are managed directly by the Ministry. Popular rolling stock builders such as CLW and DLW for electric and diesel locomotives; ICF and RCF for passenger coaches are Production Units of Indian Railways. Over the years, Indian Railways has not only achieved self-sufficiency in production of rolling stock in the country but also exported rolling stock to other countries. Each of these six production units is headed by a General Manager, who also reports directly to the Railway Board. The six Production Units are:-

Other subsidiaries[link]

There also exist independent organizations under the control of the Railway Board for electrification, modernization, research and design and training of officers, each of which is headed by an officer of the rank of General Manager. A number of Public Sector Undertakings, which perform railway-related functions ranging from consultancy to ticketing, are also under the administrative control of the Ministry of railways.

There are eleven public undertakings under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways,^[21] viz.

• Rail India Technical and Economic Services Limited (RITES);
• Indian Railway Construction (IRCON) International Limited;
• Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFC);
• Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR);
• Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL).
• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC);
• Railtel Corporation of India Limited (Rail Tel);
• Mumbai Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (MRVNL);
• Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL); and
• Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL); and
• Bharat Wagon and Engineering Co. Ltd. (BWEL).

The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) was set up as a registered society to design and implement various railway computerization projects.

Locomotives[link]

Two steam engines at water refilling station at Agra station

A Beyer Garratt 6594 Engine seen at the National Rail Museum

Locomotives in India consist of electric and diesel locomotives. Steam locomotives are no longer used, except in heritage trains. Locomotives are also called locos or engines. In India, locomotives are classified according to their track gauge, motive power, the work they are suited for and their power or model number. The class name includes this information about the locomotive. It comprises 4 or 5 letters. The first letter denotes the track gauge. The second letter denotes their motive power (Diesel or Electric) and the third letter denotes the kind of traffic for which they are suited (goods, passenger, mixed or shunting). The fourth letter used to denote locomotives' chronological model number. However, from 2002 a new classification scheme has been adopted. Under this system, for newer diesel locomotives, the fourth letter will denote their horsepower range. Electric locomotives don't come under this scheme and even all diesel locos are not covered. For them this letter denotes their model number as usual.

A locomotive may sometimes have a fifth letter in its name which generally denotes a technical variant or subclass or subtype. This fifth letter indicates some smaller variation in the basic model or series, perhaps different motors, or a different manufacturer. With the new scheme for classifying diesel locomotives (as mentioned above) the fifth item is a letter that further refines the horsepower indication in 100 hp increments: 'A' for 100 hp, 'B' for 200 hp, 'C' for 300 hp, etc. So in this scheme, a WDM-3A refers to a 3100 hp loco, while a WDM-3F would be a 3600 hp loco.

Note: This classification system does not apply to steam locomotives in India as they have become non-functional now. They retained their original class names such as M class or WP class.

Technical details[link]

Track and gauge[link]

Indian railways uses four gauges, the 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge which is wider than the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) standard gauge; the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) metre gauge; and two narrow gauges, 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) and 610 mm (2 ft) . Track sections are rated for speeds ranging from 75 to 160 km/h (47 to 99 mph).

The total length of track used by Indian Railways was about 114,000 km (71,000 mi) while the total route length of the network was 64,215 km (39,901 mi) on 31 March 2011.^[22] About 33% of the route-kilometer and 44% of the total track kilometer was electrified on 31 March 2011.^[22]

Broad gauge is the predominant gauge used by Indian Railways.

Broad gauge is the predominant gauge used by Indian Railways. Indian broad gauge—1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)—is the most widely used gauge in India with 102,000 km (63,000 mi) of track length (90% of entire track length of all the gauges) and 54,600 km of route-kilometer (85% of entire route-kilometer of all the gauges) on 31 March 2011.

In some regions with less traffic, the meter gauge (1,000 mm/3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) is common, although the Unigauge project is in progress to convert all tracks to broad gauge. The metre gauge had about 9,000 km (5,600 mi) of track length (7.9% of entire track length of all the gauges) and 7,500 km of route-kilometer (11.6% of entire route-kilometer of all the gauges) on 31 March 2011.

The Narrow gauges are present on a few routes, lying in hilly terrains and in some erstwhile private railways (on cost considerations), which are usually difficult to convert to broad gauge. Narrow gauges had a total of 2,400 route-kilometre on 31 March 2011. The Kalka-Shimla Railway, the Kangra Valley Railway and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway are three notable hill lines that use narrow gauge, but the Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a metre gauge track.^[23] These four rail lines will not be converted under the Unigauge project.

The Indian Railways serves every major populated region in the country

The share of broad gauge in the total route-kilometer has been steadily rising, increasing from 47% (25,258 route-km) in 1951 to 85% in 2011 whereas the share of meter gauge has declined from 45% (24,185 route-km) to less than 12% in the same period and the share of narrow gauges has decreased from 8% to 3%. However, the total route-kilometer has increased by only 18% (by just 10,000 km from 53,596 route-km in 1951) in the last sixty years. This compares very poorly with Chinese railways, which increased from about 27,000 route-km at the end of second world war to about 100,000 route-km in 2011, an increase of more than threefold. More than 28,000 route-km (34% of the total route-km) of Chinese railway is electrified compared to only about 21,000 route-km of Indian railways.

Double-decker AC trains have been introduced in India. The first double decker train was Flying Rani introduced in 2005 while the first double-decker AC train in the Indian Railways was introduced in November 2010, running between the Dhanbad and Howrah stations having 10 coaches and 2 power cars.^[24]

Sleepers (ties) are made up of prestressed concrete, or steel or cast iron posts, though teak sleepers are still in use on a few older lines. The prestressed concrete sleeper is in wide use today. Metal sleepers were extensively used before the advent of concrete sleepers. Indian Railways divides the country into four zones on the basis of the range of track temperature. The greatest temperature variations occur in Rajasthan.

Electrification[link]

As of 31 March 2011, 21,014 km of the total 64,215 km route length is electrified (33%).^[25] Since 1960, almost all electrified sections on IR use 25,000 V AC traction through overhead catenary delivery.^[26][27] A major exception is the entire Mumbai section, which uses 1,500 V DC,^[27] but is currently undergoing change to the 25,000 V AC system. Another exception is the Kolkata Metro, which uses 750 V DC delivered through a third rail.

Traction voltages are changed at two places close to Mumbai. Central Railway trains passing through Kasara and Karjat switch from AC to DC using a neutral section near Kalyan. Western Railway trains switch power on the fly, in a section near Dahisar, where the train continues with its own momentum for about 30 m through a non-electrified section of catenary called a dead zone.^[27] All electric engines and EMUs operating in this section are the necessary AC/DC dual system type (classified "WCAM" by IndianRailways).

Railway links to adjacent countries[link]

Existing rail links:

• Nepal – Break-of-gauge – Gauge conversion under uni-gauge project
• Pakistan – same Broad Gauge. Thar Express to Karachi and the more famous Samjhauta Express international train from Lahore, Pakistan to Amritsar (Attari).
• Bangladesh – Same Broad Gauge. The Maitri Express between Dhaka and Kolkata started in April 2008 using the Gede-Darsana route, in addition to a Freight Train service from Singhabad and Petrapole in India to Rohanpur and Benapole in Bangladesh A second passenger link between Agartala, India and Akhaura Upazila, Bangladesh was approved by the Government of India in September 2011.^[28]

Under construction / Proposed links:

• Bhutan – railways under construction – Same gauge
• Myanmar – Manipur to Myanmar (under construction)
• China – Indian Railways and rail authorities in People's Republic of China are interested in starting a high-speed rail link that would link New Delhi with Kunming, China via Myanmar.^[29] The rail link would utilize the under construction railway from Manipur, India to Myanmar and the under construction railway from Kunming to Myanmar.
• Vietnam – On 9 April 2010, Former Union Minister of India, Shashi Tharoor announced that the central government is considering a rail link from Manipur to Vietnam via Myanmar.^[30]
• Thailand - possible if Burma Railway is rebuilt.^[31] Would also allow trains to Malaysia and Singapore.

Types of passenger services[link]

Delhi Duronto Express, as it rolls out of Sealdah with a Ghaziabad WAP 7 in Duronto livery

Seen here is the Rajdhani Express, which is a long-distance high-speed train connecting major state capitals with New Delhi.

Seen here is the coaches of the Shatabdi Express, a medium-distance high-speed train connecting the four metros with the important destinations in the region.

Trains are classified by their average speed.^[32] A faster train has fewer stops ("halts") than a slower one and usually caters to long-distance travel.

Accommodation classes[link]

Interior of a First Class(1A) compartment in the Rajdhani Express.

Air-conditioned Chair Car(CC) coaches in an Shatabdi Express.

Interior of an air-conditioned Chair Car coach(CC) in an Jan Shatabdi Express.

A typical sleeper class coach

Several long trains are composed of two to three classes of travel, such as a 1st and 2nd classes which have different pricing systems for various amenities. The 1st Class refers to coaches with separate cabins, coaches can be air-conditioned or non air-conditioned.

Further, other AC classes can have 2 or 3 tier berths, with higher prices for the former, 3-tier non-AC coaches or 2nd class seating coaches, which are popular among passengers going on shorter journeys.

In air-conditioned sleeper classes passengers are provided with sheets, pillows and blankets. Meals and refreshments are provided, to all the passengers of reserved classes, either through the on-board pantry service or through special catering arrangements in trains without pantry car. Unreserved coach passengers have options of purchasing from licensed vendors either on board or on the platform of intermediate stops.

The amenities depend on the popularity and length of the route. Lavatories are communal and feature both the Indian style as well as the Western style.

The following table lists the classes in operation. Not all classes may be attached to a rake though.

At the rear of the train is a special compartment known as the guard's cabin. It is fitted with a transceiver and is where the guard usually gives the all clear signal before the train departs. A standard passenger rake generally has four general compartments, two at the front and two behind, of which one is exclusively for ladies. The exact number varies according to the demand and the route. A luggage compartment can also exist at the front or the back. In some trains a separate mail compartment is present. In long-distance trains a pantry car is usually included in the centre.

Train numbering[link]

Effective 20 December 2010, the railways will deploy a 5 digit numbering system instead of the 4 digit system. The need is due to the fact that the Indian Railways runs 10,000 trains daily.^[35] Only a prefix of the digit 1 will be added to the four-digit numbers of the existing trains to make the transition smoother. The special trains run to clear festivals and holiday rush shall have the prefix of 0 (zero)

Notable trains and achievements[link]

“Science Express”, a joint Indo-German multimedia exhibition, which has travelled inside a 400 meters long air-conditioned train across India.

A tight loop (Agony Point) on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in West Bengal.

A view of the Pamban Railway Bridge, which links Rameshwaram to the mainland.Thousands of pilgrims cross the sea every day to visit the island.

There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites on IR – the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus^[36] and the Mountain Railways of India. The latter is not contiguous, but actually consists of three separate railway lines located in different parts of India:^[37]

• The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a narrow gauge railway in West Bengal.
• The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a metre gauge railway in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu
• The Kalka-Shimla Railway, a narrow gauge railway in the Shivalik mountains in Himachal Pradesh. In 2003 the railway was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for offering the steepest rise in altitude in the space of 96 kilometre.^[38]
• The Maharaja Railways (Gwalior Light Railway), a narrow gauge line of just 0.6m width from Gwalior to Sheopur of 198 km. in length is world's longest narrow gauge railway line is in the UNESCO world heritage tentative list.
• The Neral-Matheran Railway, a narrow gauge railway connecting Matheran is also a historic line.
• The Palace on Wheels is a specially designed train, frequently hauled by a steam locomotive, for promoting tourism in Rajasthan. On the same lines, the Maharashtra government introduced the Deccan Odyssey covering various tourist destinations in Maharashtra and Goa, and was followed by the Government of Karnataka which introduced the Golden Chariot train connecting popular tourist destinations in Karnataka and Goa. However, neither of them has been able to enjoy the popular success of the Palace on Wheels.

• The Samjhauta Express is a train that runs between India and Pakistan. However, hostilities between the two nations in 2001 saw the line being closed. It was reopened when the hostilities subsided in 2004. Another train connecting Khokhrapar (Pakistan) and Munabao (India) is the Thar Express that restarted operations on 18 February 2006; it was earlier closed down after the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

• The Lifeline Express is a special train popularly known as the "Hospital-on-Wheels" which provides healthcare to the rural areas. This train has a carriage that serves as an operating room, a second one which serves as a storeroom and an additional two that serve as a patient ward. The train travels around the country, staying at a location for about two months before moving elsewhere.

• Among the famous locomotives, the Fairy Queen is the oldest operating locomotive in the world today, though it is operated only for specials between Delhi and Alwar. John Bull, a locomotive older than Fairy Queen, operated in 1981 commemorating its 150th anniversary. Kharagpur railway station also has the distinction of being the world's longest railway platform at 1,072 m (3,517 ft). The Ghum station along the Darjeeling Toy Train route is the second highest railway station in the world to be reached by a steam locomotive.^[39] The Mumbai–Pune Deccan Queen has the oldest running dining car in IR.

• The Vivek Express, between Dibrugarh and Kanyakumari, has the longest run in terms of distance and time on Indian Railways network. It covers 4,286 km (2,663 mi) in about 82 hours and 30 minutes.

• The Himsagar Express, between Kanyakumari and Jammu Tawi, has the second longest run in terms of distance and time on Indian Railways network. It covers 3,715 km (2,308 mi) in about 69 hours and 30 minutes. The Bhopal Shatabdi Express is the fastest train in India today having a maximum speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) on the Faridabad–Agra section. The fastest speed attained by any train is 184 km/h (114 mph) in 2000 during test runs.

• The third longest train in terms of distance on Indian Railways network is navyug express between jammu tawi to mangalore covering a distance of 3609 k.m
• Trivandrum Rajdhani is the longest non stop train in on Indian Railways network covering 528 km

See also[link]

Railways in India portal

• Bilaspur-Mandi-Leh Railway
• List of countries by rail transport network size
• List of railway stations in India
• Rail transport in India

Notes[link]

References[link]

Scholarly studies[link]

• Aguiar, Marian. Tracking Modernity: India's Railway and the Culture of Mobility (2011)
• Bear, Laura. Lines of the Nation: Indian Railway Workers, Bureaucracy, and the Intimate Historical Self (Columbia University Press, 2007); 360 pp. ISBN 978-0-231-14002-7.
• Tiwari, Ramswarup D. Railways In Modern India (1941) excerpt and text search
• V.M. Govind Krishnan NMR (Nilgiri Mountain Railway)- From Lifeline to Oblivion

Popular sources[link]

• "Indian Railways FAQ". Indian Railways Fan Club. http://www.irfca.org/faq/. Retrieved 18 June 2006. 
• "IR History: Early Days". Indian Railways Fan Club. http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-hist.html. Retrieved 19 June 2005. 
• "Railway Zones". Indian Railways Fan Club. http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-geog.html. Retrieved 19 June 2005. 
• "Railways Reservation". [Railwayreservation.org]. http://www.railwayreservation.org. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
• "Famous Trains". Indian Railways Fan Club. http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-seltrain.html. Retrieved 19 June 2005. 
• "Freight Trains". Indian Railways Fan Club. http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-freight.html. Retrieved 19 June 2005. 
• "Miscellaneous material on Indian Railways". Indian Railways Fan Club. http://www.irfca.org/docs/. Retrieved 18 June 2006. 
• "Trivia". Indian Railways Fan Club. http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-trivia.html. Retrieved 19 June 2005. 
• "Salient Features of Indian Railways". Indian Railways. Archived from the original on 18 June 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20050618234536/http://www.indianrail.gov.in/abir.html. Retrieved 19 June 2005. 
• "Indian Railway takes the E-route". Times of India (India). 19 June 2005. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1146548.cms. Retrieved 19 June 2005. 
• "The Rediff Interview". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/03inter.htm. Retrieved 19 June 2005. 
• "A poor track record". Frontline magazine online. http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2015/stories/20030801006911900.htm. Retrieved 19 June 2005. 
• Various authors (2004). Guinness Book of World Records-2005. Guinness World Records Ltd. ISBN 0-85112-192-6. 
• "Railway Budget 2010–2011". India Rail Info. http://indiarailinfo.com/railbudget. Retrieved 25 February 2010. 
• "5 digit Train Numbering". The Times Of India (India). 19 December 2010. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Railways-replace-4-digit-numbering-system-with-5-digit/articleshow/7129929.cms. 
• "Rail Budget (2012-13) - highlights". TOI. 14-Mar-12. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Rail-Budget-2012/budgetarticlelist/11871901.cms. 
• "Rail budget: How much your ticket will cost now". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-budget-2012-railway-how-much-your-ticket-will-cost-now/20120314.htm. Retrieved 15-Mar-12. 

External links[link]

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• Joys of train travel in India

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There are many people in history who are commonly appended with the phrase "the Great", or who were called that or an equivalent phrase in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes such as e Bozorg and e azam in Persian and Urdu respectively.

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.^[1]

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus)^[2] assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "the Great".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

Rulers[link]

• Abbas I of Persia (1571–1629), Shah of Iran
• Akbar (1542–1605), ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, mainly India
• Alain I of Albret (1440–1522), French aristocrat
• Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt, and all of Mesopotamia
• Alexander I of Georgia (1386–1446), King of Georgia
• Alfonso III of León (c. 848-910), King of León, Galicia and Asturias
• Alfred the Great (848/849-899), King of Wessex
• Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC), ruler of the Seleucid Empire
• Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BC), Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty
• Ashot I of Iberia “the Great”(died 826/830), presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia),
• Askia Mohammad I (c. 1442–1538), ruler of the Songhai Empire
• Bhumibol Adulyadej (born 1927), King of Thailand
• Bolesław I Chrobry (967-1025), sometimes called "the Great", first King of Poland
• Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the following section)
• Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1736–1809), founder and ruler of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (in what is now Thailand)
• Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995-1035), King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden
• Casimir III the Great (1310–1370), King of Poland
• Catherine the Great (1729–1796), Empress of Russia
• Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413/415), also known as Vikramaditya, ruler of the Gupta empire in India
• Charlemagne (died 814), King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans
• Chulalongkorn (1853–1910), King of Siam (now Thailand)
• Chlothar II (584-629), King of Neustria and King of the Franks
• Conrad, Margrave of Meissen (c. 1097-1157), Margrave of Meissen
• Constantine I (c. 272-337), Roman emperor
• Cyaxares the Great (c. 625-585 BC), third king of Media
• Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC), founder and ruler of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire
• Darius the Great (550 – 486 BC), third ruler of the Persian Empire
• Devapala (died 850), ruler of the Pala Empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Dionysius I, Greek tyrant of Syracuse^[3]
• Ferdinand I of León and Castile (c. 1015–1065), King of León and Count of Castile
• Frederick the Great (1712–1786), King of Prussia
• Genghis Khan (1162?-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire
• Gero (c. 900–965), ruler of Marca Geronis, a very large march in Europe
• Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594–1632), King of Sweden, founder of the Swedish Empire, and noted military leader
• Gwanggaeto the Great, King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea^[4][5]
• Hanno the Great, the name of three leaders of Carthage, in the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd centuries BC
• Henry I, Duke of Burgundy (946–1002)
• Henry IV of France (1553–1610), King of France and King of Navarre
• Herod the Great (73/74 BC-4 BC), King of Judea
• Hugh the Great (898-956), Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris
• Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France
• Hugh I, Count of Vermandois (1057–1101)
• Humphrey I de Bohun (died c. 1123), Anglo-Norman aristocrat
• Ivan III of Russia (1440–1505), Tsar of Russia
• John I of Portugal (1358–1433), King of Portugal and the Algarve
• John II of Aragon (1398–1479), King of Aragon and, through his wife, King of Navarre
• Justinian I (483-565), Byzantine Emperor
• Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819), first King of Hawai'i
• Kanishka (died c. 127), ruler of the Kushan Empire in Central Asia and parts of India
• Kvirike III of Kakheti (1010–1029), King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia
• Kublai Khan (1215–1294), Mongol ruler in the 13th century and Emperor of China; founder of the Yuan Dynasty
• Llywelyn the Great (c. 1172–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and de facto ruler of most of Wales
• Louis I of Hungary (1326–1382), King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland
• Mangrai the Great (1238–1317), Lanna, northern Thailand
• Emperor Meiji (1852–1912), Emperor of Japan
• Mircea I of Wallachia (1355–1418)
• Mithridates II of Parthia (died 88 BC), ruler of the Parthian Empire (in present day Iran)
• Mithridates VI of Pontus (134 BC–63 BC), ruler of Pontus and the Bosporan Kingdom
• Mstislav I of Kiev (1076–1132), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus
• Naresuan (1555–1605), King of Ayutthaya
• Narai (1633–1688), King of Ayutthaya (in what is now modern Thailand)
• Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine
• Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912-973)
• K'inich Janaab' Pakal (603-683), ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque
• Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (1123–1186), King of Sri Lanka
• Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia (died 1075), King of Croatia
• Peter the Great (1672–1725), Tsar of Russia
• Peter III of Aragon (1239–1285), King of Aragon and King of Sicily
• Pompey (106 BC-48 BC), military and political leader of the late Roman Republic, rival of Julius Caesar
• Radama I (1793–1828), first king of greater Madagascar
• Raja Raja Chola I (c. 947-1014), Indian emperor of the Cholas.^[6][7][8]
• Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014–1044), Tamil King of India
• Ramesses II (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC), considered the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
• Ram Khamhaeng (around 1237 to 1247-1298), King of Sukhothai (in present day Thailand)
• Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona (1082–1131), also Count of Provence and various other counties
• Rhodri the Great (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd (in present day Wales)
• Roman the Great (after 1160-1205), Grand Prince of Kiev
• Saladin (c. 1138-1193), Kurdish Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, and victor over the Crusaders
• Samudragupta (c. 335–375), ruler of the Gupta empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Sancho III of Navarre (c. 992-1035), King of Kingdom of Navarre
• Sargon of Akkad (died c. 2215 BC), ruler of the Akkadian Empire
• Sejong the Great (1397–1450), Korean king^[9]
• Shapur II (309-379), king of the Sassanid Empire, Persia
• Simeon I of Bulgaria (864/865-927), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire
• Stephen III of Moldavia (1433–1504), Prince of Moldavia (Romania)
• Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia (c. 1308-1355), King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks
• Taksin (1734–1782), King of the Thonburi Kingdom (Thailand)
• Tamar (1160-1123), Queen of the Georgian Empire
• Timur (1336–1405), better known as Tamerlane, founder of the Timurid Dynasty
• Theobald II, Count of Champagne (1090–1151), Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie
• Theodoric the Great (454-526), King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and a viceroy of the Byzantine Empire
• Theodosius I (347-395), Roman emperor
• Tigranes the Great (140-55 BC), Emperor of Armenia
• Tiridates III of Armenia (285-339), King of Armenia
• Umar (c. 586 to 590–644), second caliph of the Muslim Empire
• Valdemar I of Denmark (1131–1182), King of Denmark
• Valentinian I (364-375), Roman Emperor
• Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 958-1015), ruler of Kievan Rus
• Vytautas (c. 1350-1430), archduke of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy
• William I, Count of Burgundy (1020–1087), Count of Burgandy and Mâcon
• William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969-1030), also Count of Poitou
• Xerxes I (519-465 BC), King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia)
• Yu the Great (c. 2200-2100 BC), legendary ruler in ancient China