Zones Zone Headquarters And History
Railway GK: Zone Headquarters & History
(For all RRB NTPC, Group-D, ALP, JE-SSE)
1. Indian Railways – At a Glance
- Country’s largest employer: 1.3 million regular employees
- Route km (31 Mar 2023): 68,584 km
- Running track km: 1,07,457 km
- Total stations (approx.): 7,500+
- Annual freight loading (FY 23): 1,512 million t
- Daily passenger carry: >2.3 crore
- Birth year: 16 April 1853 (first train Bori Bunder – Thane, 34 km)
- Nationalised: 1951 (all private companies merged)
- Zonal re-organisations: 1951 (6), 1952 (9), 1966 (11), 2003 (16), 2010 (17)
2. Present 18 Railway Zones (17+1) – Headquarters & Year of Creation
| S.No | Zone (popular name) | HQ (City & State) | Year of formation* | Route km (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central (CR) | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 5 Nov 1951 | 3,900 |
| 2 | Eastern (ER) | Kolkata, West Bengal | 14 Apr 1952 | 2,625 |
| 3 | East Central (ECR) | Hajipur, Bihar | 1 Oct 2003 | 3,766 |
| 4 | East Coast (ECoR) | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | 1 Apr 2003 | 2,839 |
| 5 | Northern (NR) | New Delhi, Delhi | 14 Apr 1952 | 6,807 |
| 6 | North Central (NCR) | Allahabad (Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh | 1 Apr 2003 | 3,062 |
| 7 | North Eastern (NER) | Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh | 14 Apr 1952 | 3,447 |
| 8 | Northeast Frontier (NFR) | Maligaon (Guwahati), Assam | 14 Apr 1958 | 4,147 |
| 9 | North Western (NWR) | Jaipur, Rajasthan | 1 Oct 2002 | 5,465 |
| 10 | Southern (SR) | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | 14 Apr 1952 | 5,029 |
| 11 | South Central (SCR) | Secunderabad, Telangana | 2 Oct 1966 | 6,597 |
| 12 | South Coast (formerly ECoR-2) | Visakhapatnam (new zone approved 2019 – yet to be notified) | (proposed) | – |
| 13 | South Eastern (SER) | Kolkata, West Bengal | 1955 (re-carved) | 2,709 |
| 14 | South East Central (SECR) | Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh | 1 Apr 2003 | 2,447 |
| 15 | South Western (SWR) | Hubballi, Karnataka | 1 Apr 2003 | 3,499 |
| 16 | Western (WR) | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 5 Nov 1951 | 4,590 |
| 17 | West Central (WCR) | Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh | 1 Apr 2003 | 2,965 |
| 18 | Kolkata Metro (17th operational zone) | Kolkata, West Bengal | 29 Dec 2010 | 52 (rapid-transit) |
Note: Formation year = date from which the zone started functioning with independent GM.
Source: Railway Board Year Book 2022-23.
(Route-kms are rounded – sufficient for MCQ memory).
3. Chronology of Zonal Re-organisations (Exam Favourite)
Question:01 [Which year saw the creation of the South Central Railway (SCR) zone following the merger of Hyderabad State?]
A) 1951
B) 1958
C) 1966
D) 2002
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The South Central Railway (SCR) zone was created in 1966 after the merger of Hyderabad State into the Indian Union, expanding the zonal network beyond the original six zones formed in 1951.
4. Headquarters Map-Memory Code
CR/WR – Mumbai twin
ER/SER – Kolkata twin
NR – Capital (Delhi)
SR – Chennai
SCR – Secunderabad
NER – Gorakhpur
NFR – Guwahati (Maligaon)
NCR – Prayagraj
ECR – Hajipur (only HQ in Bihar)
ECoR – Bhubaneswar
SECR – Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh)
WCR – Jabalpur (MP)
NWR – Jaipur
SWR – Hubballi
Metro – Kolkata
5. Previous-Year RRB FAQs (Factual)
- Which is the newest zone? – Kolkata Metro (2010)
- Only zone HQ located in Bihar? – East Central Railway (Hajipur)
- Largest route-km zone? – Northern Railway
- Headquarters of South Coast Railway (proposed)? – Visakhapatnam
- First train in India ran between? – Bori Bunder (Mumbai) – Thane
- Indian Railways nationalised in? – 1951
- First Railway Budget independent of General Budget – 1924 (now merged with Union Budget 2017)
- Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (Toy train) World Heritage status – 1999 (UNESCO)
- Longest platform in India (as on 2023) – Hubballi (SWR) – 1,507 m
- Indian Railways’ 100 yrs of electrification completed – 3 Aug 2025 (first 1925, Harbour line)
6. Quick Reference Tables
A. Zones with TWO HQs in same state
- Maharashtra – CR & WR (both Mumbai)
- West Bengal – ER, SER & Metro (all Kolkata)
- Karnataka – SWR only (but Hubballi & Bengaluru division)
B. Only one zone HQ in these states
- Bihar (ECR)
- Chhattisgarh (SECR)
- Rajasthan (NWR)
- Odisha (ECoR)
- Assam (NFR)
- MP (WCR)
- UP (NER, NCR) – two zones, two different cities
C. Zones created in 1952 (4)
- ER, NR, NER, SR
D. Zones created on 1 Apr 2003 (5)
- ECR, ECoR, NCR, SWR, SECR, WCR (6 actually)
7. 15 Practice MCQs (with Answers)
Q1. The headquarters of East Central Railway is
a) Patna b) Muzaffarpur c) Hajipur d) Dhanbad
Ans. c
Q2. In which year was South Central Railway formed?
a) 1951 b) 1952 c) 1966 d) 2003
Ans. c
Q3. Which of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched?
a) NER – Gorakhpur b) WCR – Jabalpur c) NWR – Jodhpur d) SECR – Bilaspur
Ans. c
Q4. The 17th operational zone of Indian Railways is
a) Kolkata Metro b) South Coast c) WCR d) NCR
Ans. a
Q5. First train of India ran on
a) 16 Apr 1851 b) 16 Apr 1853 c) 18 May 1853 d) 1 Apr 1854
Ans. b
Q6. Indian Railways was nationalised in
a) 1947 b) 1950 c) 1951 d) 1952
Ans. c
Q7. Headquarters of North Central Railway is located at
a) Lucknow b) Prayagraj c) Varanasi d) New Delhi
Ans. b
Q8. Which zone has the longest route kilometrage?
a) NR b) SCR c) WR d) NWR
Ans. a
Q9. The only zonal HQ situated in the state of Chhattisgarh is
a) ECR b) SECR c) WCR d) NCR
Ans. b
Q10. When was Northeast Frontier Railway carved out of Eastern Railway?
a) 1951 b) 1952 c) 1955 d) 1958
Ans. d
Q11. Match the following:
Zone HQ
- East Coast (i) Jabalpur
- West Central (ii) Bhubaneswar
- North Western (iii) Jaipur
Codes:
a) 1-ii, 2-i, 3-iii b) 1-i, 2-ii, 3-iii c) 1-iii, 2-ii, 3-i d) 1-ii, 2-iii, 3-i
Ans. a
Q12. Which city has two conventional zone HQs?
a) Delhi b) Mumbai c) Chennai d) Kolkata
Ans. b (CR & WR)
Q13. Number of zones created on 1 April 2003 is
a) 5 b) 6 c) 7 d) 8
Ans. b (ECR, ECoR, NCR, SWR, SECR, WCR)
Q14. Proposed South Coast Railway will have its HQ at
a) Vijayawada b) Guntakal c) Visakhapatnam d) Tirupati
Ans. c
Q15. The first Railway Budget in India was presented in
a) 1853 b) 1860 c) 1921 d) 1924
Ans. d
8. Revision Tips
- Remember the “3-6-9” rule: 3 zones in Mumbai/Kolkata each; 6 zones born 2003; 9 zones born 1951-52.
- Use HQ-map: draw India map → mark only HQ cities → recall zone names.
- Note numerical triggers: 1853 (first), 1951 (nationalise), 2003 (max zones).
- Kolkata Metro is a zone but NOT a “conventional” zone – read questions carefully.
All the best for RRB NTPC/Group-D/ALP/JE!
BETA
