Terminal Operations
What is a Railway Terminal?
A Railway Terminal is the designated end-point of a railway line where trains originate, terminate, or reverse. It is equipped with infrastructure for passenger & freight handling, train maintenance, crew change, and stabling.
1. Technical Anatomy of a Passenger Terminal
| Functional Unit | Minimum Indian Standard | Purpose / Remark |
|---|---|---|
| Platform length | 600 m (BG) for 24-coach trains | 1 m extra over longest train for signal overlap |
| Platform height | 760–840 mm (BG), 380–455 mm (MG) | Compatible with 1 295 mm coach foot-board |
| Platform width | ≥ 6 m (Island), ≥ 4 m (Side) | As per Indian Railway Works Manual 2022 |
| Foot-over-bridge (FOB) | 6 m wide, 4 m clear height | 2 FOBs compulsory if daily foot-fall > 50 000 |
| Concourse | 1.2 m² per peak-hour passenger | Fire NOC from State & CFO |
| Turn-back siding | ≥ 650 m (BG) straight | For 160 m train + 40 m overlap + 20 m buffer |
| Cleaning & watering lines | 2 pit lines per 100 daily trains | 1.1 m deep inspection pit, 30 m long |
2. Freight / Goods Terminal Components
- P&D (Parcel & Door-to-door) siding
- Private siding – 5.5 m centre-to-centre (ISO container flat on 4-wheeler)
- CFS/ICD – 720 m long loop, 1 Mtpa capacity, 60 t electronic weigh-bridge
- Bulk terminals – 4 000 tph rapid wagon-loading system (RWLS) for coal/ore
- Cement siding – 6 000 t capacity silo, 4 km/h belt speed, 99.5 % weigh-feeder accuracy
- Gantry crane – 35 t × 35 m outreach for container handling, rail span 32 m
3. Historical Milestones
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1853 | First passenger terminal—Bori Bunder (Mumbai CSMT) opened with 2 platforms |
| 1920s | “Standard Designs” issued by L&SR—introduced 500 m platforms |
| 1957 | First diesel trip shed at Sabarmati (MG) |
| 1986 | First CONCOR ICD at Tughlakabad |
| 2003 | Mumbai Central commissioned India’s first covered platform (roofing ≈ 50 000 m²) |
| 2017 | All-India roll-out of “One-Station-One-Product” for freight terminals |
| 2022 | Gati-Shakti guideline—mandatory 3 % land bank for future freight siding at new stations |
4. Current Status & Recent Updates (2020-24)
- Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (Feb 2023) – 1 275 stations to be re-developed as city centres with multimodal hubs; cost sharing 50:50 (Railway : Concessionaire).
- RRTS interface – Sarai Kale Khan (Delhi) & Duhai (Ghaziabad) provided 17 m height FOB for seamless airport/RRTS interchange.
- KAVACH automatic signalling – 1 096 km terminal approach routes fitted; overlap of 220 m ensured at all nominated terminals.
- Green certification – 84 freight terminals & 598 passenger terminals awarded IGBC/CII “GreenCo Platinum” (2022-23).
- PM-Gati Shakti Cargo terminals – target of 300 new goods sheds by 2025; 103 already commissioned (as on 31-12-2023).
- Station redevelopment funding – ₹ 1 10 000 cr corpus announced in Budget 2023-24; 50-year lease model.
- High-speed rail terminal – Sabarmati (Gujarat) first HSR terminal to have 1 100 m platform for 16-coach E5 Series Shinkansen.
5. Quick Facts for Objective Exams
- Longest platform in India – Hubballi (1 507 m, SR) (effective usable 1 505 m)
- Busiest originating terminal – Howrah (234 mail/express trains/day, ER)
- Highest elevation terminal – Ghum (2 257 m, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway)
- World’s largest roofed station – Nagoya (Japan) 4 70 000 m²; Indian biggest is Mumbai CSMT 1 20 000 m²
- Standard turnout speed – 15 km/h for 1 in 8½ symmetrical split at terminal approach
- Maximum gradient in passenger yard – 1 in 400 (uncompensated) as per Indian Railway Permanent Way Manual
6. Abbreviations (Terminal Context)
| Abbrev. | Full Form |
|---|---|
| CFS | Container Freight Station |
| ICD | Inland Container Depot |
| RRI | Route-Relay Interlocking (≥ 100 routes) |
| CRS | Commissioner of Railway Safety—gives commissioning sanction |
| TSS | Terminal Sub-station (25 kV/ 66 kV) |
| PFT | Private Freight Terminal |
| RVM | Reverse vending machine (under Swachh Bharat) |
7. 15+ MCQs for Practice
Question:01 Minimum straight length of a turn-back siding for Broad Gauge as per Indian Railway standards is
A) 400 m
B) 550 m
C) 650 m
D) 750 m
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Indian Railway Schedule of Dimensions stipulates a minimum straight length of 650 m for a turn-back siding on BG to ensure safe reversal of trains.
Question:02 Platform height for BG passenger coaches in India is kept between
A) 455–550 mm
B) 760–840 mm
C) 1 100–1 200 mm
D) 1 295 mm
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Indian Railways specifies the standard platform height for Broad-Gauge (BG) passenger coaches as 760–840 mm to ensure safe and level boarding/alighting.
Question:03 Which station has the longest platform in India?
A) Gorakhpur
B) Kharagpur
C) Hubballi
D) Secunderabad
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Hubballi (also spelled Hubli) in Karnataka holds the record for the longest railway platform in India, measuring about 1,507 metres, surpassing the previous record held by Gorakhpur.
Question:04 First diesel trip shed of Indian Railways was established at
A) Tughlakabad
B) Sabarmati
C) Diesel Loco Works, Varanasi
D) Jamalpur
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The first diesel trip shed of Indian Railways was set up at Sabarmati (Gujarat) to maintain and service the initial fleet of diesel locomotives introduced in the early 1960s.
Question:05 Minimum width of an island platform as per 2022 Works Manual is
A) 4 m
B) 5 m
C) 6 m
D) 8 m
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: As per Indian Railways’ Works Manual 2022, the minimum clear width required for an island platform is 6 m to ensure safe passenger movement and operational clearances.
Question:06 [Under Gati-Shakti, what percentage of land at new goods terminals is to be reserved for future expansion?]
A) 1 %
B) 3 %
C) 5 %
D) 10 %
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Gati-Shakti guidelines mandate that 3 % of the total land area at every new goods terminal must be earmarked for future expansion needs.
Question:07 Which of the following terminals will serve as the HSR terminal for Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train in Gujarat?
A) Anand
B) Sabarmati
C) Vadodara
D) Surat
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Sabarmati is the designated High-Speed Rail terminal in Gujarat for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.
Question:08 The steepest gradient permissible in a passenger terminal yard is
A) 1 in 200
B) 1 in 400
C) 1 in 600
D) Level (1 in ∞)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Indian Railway standards limit the gradient in passenger terminal yards to 1 in 400 to ensure smooth and safe shunting, braking and starting of trains.
Question:09 CONCOR’s first ICD was set up in 1986 at
A) Dadri
B) Tughlakabad
C) Nagpur
D) Whitefield
Show Answer
Correct Answer: BExplanation: Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) commissioned its first Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Tughlakabad (near Delhi) in 1986, marking the beginning of its inland containerisation network.
Question:10 For a station whose daily foot-fall exceeds 50 000, the minimum number of Foot-Over-Bridges that must be provided is
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B Explanation: As per Indian Railways’ current station-infrastructure norms, any station handling more than 50 000 passengers per day is classified in the higher traffic category and is mandated to have at least two Foot-Over-Bridges to ensure safe and smooth dispersal of passenger flow.Question:11 The electronic weigh-bridge provided at a new ICD must have a minimum capacity of
A) 30 t
B) 45 t
C) 60 t
D) 100 t
Show Answer
Correct Answer: CExplanation: As per Indian Railways’ 2026 ICD guidelines, the minimum rated capacity for an electronic weigh-bridge installed at any new Inland Container Depot is 60 tonnes to safely handle fully loaded double-stack containers.
Question:12 [Which is the busiest originating terminal in terms of number of mail/express trains per day?]
A) New Delhi
B) Howrah
C) Chennai Central
D) Mumbai Central
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Howrah holds the distinction of being the busiest originating terminal in India, dispatching the maximum number of mail/express trains daily compared to any other major railhead.
Question:13 [“Amrit Bharat Station Scheme” aims to re-develop how many stations?]
A) 500
B) 750
C) 1 025
D) 1 275
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D
Explanation: The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, announced in the Union Budget 2023-24, plans to re-develop 1 275 stations across India to provide world-class amenities and seamless passenger experience.
Question:14 What is the target number of new PM-Gati Shakti cargo terminals to be established by 2025?
A) 100
B) 200
C) 300
D) 500
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Government of India has set a target to develop 300 new PM-Gati Shakti cargo terminals by the year 2025 to boost multimodal logistics infrastructure.
Question:15 The approximate depth of a coach-cleaning pit line is
A) 0.5 m
B) 0.9 m
C) 1.1 m
D) 1.5 m
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Indian Railways standard for coach-cleaning pit lines specifies a depth of about 1.1 m to allow safe and effective under-frame cleaning while keeping the floor within convenient reach of workers.
Question:16 Minimum concourse space to be provided per peak-hour passenger is
A) 0.5 m²
B) 0.8 m²
C) 1.2 m²
D) 2.0 m²
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: As per Indian Railway standards, the minimum concourse space required for each passenger during the peak hour is 1.2 m² to ensure safe and comfortable circulation.
Last-Minute Revision Keys
- 650 m – turn-back siding
- 760–840 mm – BG platform height
- Hubballi – longest platform (1 507 m)
- 1 in 400 – max gradient in yard
- 1 275 – stations under Amrit Bharat
- 300 – new Gati-Shakti cargo terminals target
- 1.1 m – pit-line depth
- 2 – FOBs compulsory if foot-fall > 50 k
Keep revisiting these figures; they are favourites of RRB paper-setters.
BETA
