Railway Zones in India

The Central Railway (CR) is one of the 19 zones of Indian Railways, with its headquarters at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai. It forms a major part of the suburban and long-distance train network of Maharashtra and also serves parts of Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, making it one of the most important zones in the country.

The Western Railway (WR) zone is headquartered at Churchgate, Mumbai. Its network covers the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and parts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. WR is known for operating the Mumbai Suburban Railway's Western Line, one of the busiest suburban corridors in the world.

The Northern Railway (NR) is the largest railway zone in India in terms of route length. Headquartered in New Delhi, it serves the states of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Chandigarh. It manages some of the most prestigious trains, including the Vande Bharat Express.

The Southern Railway (SR), with its headquarters in Chennai, serves the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, along with parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It was the first zone to be created in independent India and operates a mix of busy suburban networks and important long-distance routes.

The Eastern Railway (ER) is one of the major zones of Indian Railways, headquartered at Fairlie Place, Kolkata. It serves a vast area of West Bengal and parts of Jharkhand and Bihar. ER is known for its high-density freight and passenger traffic, including the extensive Kolkata Suburban Railway system.

The South Central Railway (SCR) is headquartered at Secunderabad and primarily serves the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. SCR is a vital link between the northern and southern parts of India and is known for its freight loading and passenger services.

The North Central Railway (NCR), with its headquarters at Prayagraj (Allahabad), is a key zone in the Indian Railways network, serving as a bridge between the northern and eastern regions. It covers a large part of Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, handling a high volume of traffic on the busy Delhi-Howrah route.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is the lifeline of the northeastern states of India. Headquartered in Maligaon, Guwahati, it provides crucial connectivity to the remote and hilly terrains of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya, as well as parts of West Bengal and Bihar.

The East Central Railway (ECR), headquartered at Hajipur, Bihar, is a strategically important zone serving the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It plays a crucial role in the transportation of coal and other minerals from the region's rich mining belts.

The South Eastern Railway (SER), with its headquarters at Garden Reach, Kolkata, is a major freight-loading zone of Indian Railways. It serves the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha, and is critical for the transportation of raw materials and finished products from the industrial and mineral-rich regions of eastern India.