need and importance of railway transport in india
Rail transport in India All main-line rail operations in India are handled by Indian Railways (IR), a state-owned organization of the Ministry of Railways. As of 31 March 2016[update] the rail network traverses the length and breadth of the country comprising 119,630 km (74,330 mi) of track[2] over a route of 66,687 km (41,437 mi) and 7,216 stations.[1] It is the fourth-largest railway network in the world (after those of the United States, Russia and China).[6] It is one of the busiest networks in the world, transporting 8.107 billion passengers and over 1.108 billion tonnes of freight annually, as of 2016.[update][1] Indian Railways is the world's largest commercial or utility employer, with more than 1.4 million employees.[7][8] Indian Railways' rolling stock includes over 200,000 (freight) wagons, 50,000 coaches and 8,000 locomotives.[7]