Railway Zones in India

The railway network in India is one of the largest in the world. The network is divided into different zones to streamline the operation of trains, manage the infrastructure, enhance their service and satisfy customer needs and preferences. The Indian Railways manages to transport goods and passengers efficiently. There are about 17 railway zones in Indian Railways, serving 68 divisions across the country. Railway zones are established to maintain and facilitate the smooth working of the largest railway network. Besides booking train tickets, it is recommended to be aware of the different railway zones in the country.

Below are the list of railway zones along with their year of creation, headquarters and the name and number of its divisions.

1. Central Railway: This zone was established in the year 1951 and it is headquartered in Mumbai. It covers 5 divisions that includes Mumbai, Bhusaval, Nagpur, Solapur and Pune.
2. Eastern Railway: It was established in the year 1952. The zone is headquartered in Kolkata with 4 divisions, namely, Asansol, Howrah, Malda, Sealdah.
3. East Central Railway: The zone is headquartered in Hajipur, established in the year 2002. There are 5 divisions in the East Central Railway zone, such as Sonpur , Samastipur, Danapur, Dhanbad, and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.
4. East Coast Railway: This zone is headquartered in Bhubaneswar, established in the year 2023. There are 3 divisions allocated for this zone, such as Khurda Road, Sambalpur and Waltair.
5. Northern Railway: This zone was established in the year 1952, headquartered in New Delhi. It includes 5 divisions, namely, Ambala, Delhi, Lucknow, Moradabad and Ferozpur.
6. Northern Central Railway: Headquartered in Prayagraj, it focuses on Prayagraj and Agra, Jhansi.
7. North Eastern Railway: Headquartered in Gorakhpur, it was established in the year 1952, covering Lucknow, Izzatnagar and Varanasi divisions.
8. Northeast Frontier Railway: Based in Guwahati, it was headquartered in the year 1958. It operates in 5 Northeastern divisions, such as Alipurduar, Katihar, Lumding, Rangiya and Tinsukia.
9. North Western Railway: Headquartered in Jaipur, this zone was established in the year 2002. It covers Ajmer, Bikaner, Jaipur and Jodhpur divisions.
10. Southern Railway: This zone is headquartered in Chennai, established in the year 1951. It serves in 6 divisions, such as Chennai, Madurai, Palakkad, Tiruchchirappalli, Thiruvananthpuram and Salem.
11. South Central Railway: Based in Secunderabad, it operates in 6 divisions, such as Guntakal, Guntur, Hyderabad, Nanded, Secunderabad and Vijayawada. This zone was established in 1966.
12. South Eastern Railway: Located in Kolkata, it was established in 1955. It manages 4 divisions, such as Adra ,Chakradharpur, Kharagpur and Ranchi .
13. South East Central Railway: Based in Bilaspur, it operates in 3 divisions, such as Raipur, Nagpur and Bilaspur.
14. South Western Railway: Headquartered in Hubballi, Karnataka, it was established in 2003. It also serves in 3 divisions, such as Bengaluru, Hubli and Mysuru.
15. Western Railway: This zone is headquartered in Mumbai, established in 1951. It serves in the 6 divisions, such as Mumbai Central, Vadodara, Ratlam , Ahmedabad , Rajkot and Bhavnagar.
16. West Central Railway: Based in Jabalpur, it serves regions in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. This zone was established in 2003, serving in 3 divisions, such as Bhopal, Jabalpur and Kota.
17. Metro Railway: This zone was established in 2010, headquartered in Kolkata.

The roles of Indian Railway zones are designed to efficiently function and manage the world’s largest rail network. Below are some of the important railway zones that you must be familiar with.

• Manage Operations: Each railway zone manages its own operations within its division. This ensures that trains arrive and depart on time, maintain safety procedures, schedule trains and other operational related activities.
• Maintain Infrastructure: Railway zones are responsible for maintaining all infrastructure, such as tracks, bridges, stations and other facilities within their regions.
• Ensures passenger services: Provides quality information about on train ticket booking, customer grievances and ensuring availability of amenities in trains and at railways stations. Ensures effective resolution of complaints related to trains, PNR status, payment and other booking related issues instantly.
• Managing Human Resources: Railway zones are also responsible for taking care of the workforce within their region. They need to look after the recruitment, training and welfare of the railway employees.
• Operate Technological Systems: With rising digital technology, there is modernization and introduction of new technologies in Indian Railways. This is to ensure quality service and efficient operations railways. Railway zones take care of technology for online ticket booking, checking real-time updates on train running status, signals and other communication-related platforms effectively.

Railway zones in India are pivotal in managing and optimizing the vast rail network, ensuring efficient operations, safety, and passenger satisfaction. They handle everything from daily train operations to long-term infrastructure upgrades, playing a crucial role in the nation's economic development and connectivity. If you are planning to travel, book your train tickets on redRail now!