- Trains in India runs on electricity and diesel.
- First part of train has engine/locomotive.The train driver and his assistant will be in this carriage.
- Next to engine, train is attached to large number of coaches/passenger cars/ carriages/bogies.
- Long-distance trains in India usually have 24 coaches.
- Each Coach is divided into many section called compartment.
- The last part of the train is caboose,a railway wagon used by people who work on the train.
- How many wheels does a train have? A passenger car consist of two axles.4 wheels per axle.So totally a car has 8 wheels and multiply it with number of coaches to calculate the number of wheels in a train.
- A person who checks tickets on train is called Train conductor or TTE (Travelling Ticket Examiner).
- In some trains,there will be a pantry car,dining car,restaurant carriage.
- Brake Van is called luggage van attached at the end of the train.The train "Guard" will be in this carriage.He is the key person with overall in charge of train.After getting signals from guard,the train driver must operate the train.
- Train guard shows green flag to start the train and red flag to stop the train.And after sunset,guard uses lamps as signals.You can see him having two-way radios to communicate with driver/pilot and he blows the whistle to warn the passengers to board the train.
- For Kids,Trains will be in the railway station.
- Train runs on railroad track.
- Track consist of a pair of steel rail lines running parallel and is set in a fixed distance called gauge.Then you must have noticed horizontal beam connecting the two steel rails,it is called ties(made of wood or concrete).The ties are set into the ballast(a railroad bed made of coarse stones).
- A level crossing is a place where a railway line crosses a road.
Why do the railway track has stones(ballast)around them?
To hold the rails in place,to prevent the growth of weeds over the track,helps in draining the rain water easily off the track,bear the load of ties/sleeper and prevent train from sinking to the ground,avoids noise and reduce jerk,gives elasticity to track structure.
Many routes are now broad gauge in India.If space between tracks is wider,it is broad gauge(5 ft 6 in),3 ft 33⁄8 in) metre gauge,2 ft 6 in) Narrow gauge.
The person who is in charge of railway station is called station master.After getting permission from station master,the guard give signal to pilot to start the train.
Different classes of Train Travel in India
*Second Class (General Compartment)2 coaches behind the engine and 2 coaches at the end of the train will be allocated general compartment.No reservation needed to travel in second class.
*Sleeper Class (SL) - Each Coach can accommodate 72 passengers. Normally 12 Sleeper Class coaches are attached per train. You need a prior reservation to travel in sleeper coach. Reservations can be made from 2 months prior to the travel date.Each compartment has 8 seats 3+3 facing each other( Upper berth (UB), Middle berth (MB) and the Lower Berth (LB)) and 2 side berths.
*AC 3-Tier Sleeper (3A),AC 2-Tier sleeper (2A),First Class AC (1A), AC Chair car (CC), First Class (FC-no AC).In every category,there will be minimum 2 coaches.
*The fastest trains in India - Rajdhani Express,Shatabdi Expresses
Trains in India
*Super-Fast Trains - runs with average speed 55 kmph , levies super-fast charges,make few stops, and reach the destination in short span compared to Express Train.
*Express Train - do not stop at all stations.
*Fast Passenger - stop at almost all stations on their route.No AC coaches.
*Passenger train - offers only unreserved sitting (general compartments) accommodation.No AC coaches.
*Local or Suburban Train - Run within and around big cities.
*A monorail is a rail-based transportation in which the track consists of a single rail, typically elevated and with the trains suspended from it.(over the bridge rail).the word mono means "single".
*A metro rail is the underground electric railway system.
Terms you must know
*Passenger name record (PNR) status to check the status of reservations.PNR number is a 10 digit number find on the top left corner of your ticket.For reservations with berth confirmed,coach and berth number will be mentioned in the ticket.If not ,you will get a ticket with RAC OR WC.
*Tatkal booking starts a day before,
*Reservation can be done 60 days before
*RAC - Reservation against Cancellation holder -This means you have only sitting accommodation and no reserved berth. But you can get berth if there is any cancellation.
*Waiting List (WL) - means BOTH berth and sitting accommodation is not GUARANTEED.
*RAC/WL tickets have two numbers WL10/WL 3.First number shows status of ticket wh
ile purchasing and second number shows current status.
*Cancellation of tickets and refund
