Question

Indian Railways network is the _________ largest in the world in size.
A. Second
B. Third
C. Fourth
D. Fifth

Answer 1

Hint: Indian Railways is a government organisation under the Ministry of Railways that regulates India's national railway system. It's route length is 68,155 km. The headquarters of the Indian railways is at New Delhi, India.

Complete Answer:
Indian railways owns facilities like locomotives and coach-production at several places. The government of India has imposed electrification of India's entire rail network by 2023–24. The Indian railways is the world's eight largest employer with 1.3 million employees.

Let us find the correct answer,
- China has the second largest railway network in the world with a route length of over 100,000km. This option is incorrect.
- Russia has the third largest railway network in the world by size. It is regulated by state-owned monopoly and runs for over 85,500km. This option is incorrect.
- The Indian railways, divided into 18 zones is the fourth largest railway network in the world. It is also the largest railway network in Asia. This option is correct.
- The Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) are the two major rail networks operating in the country. They constitute the fifth largest railway network in the world. This option is incorrect.

Hence the correct answer is option 'C'.

Note: Lord Dalhousie was the first one to launch railways in India and is therefore, known as the "Father of Indian Railways." The first train of India ran between Bombay's Bori Bunder station and Thane on 16 April 1853. Vinod Kumar Yadav is appointed as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Railway Board by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC).