These images of India’s packed railroads will make you thankful for your daily commute.
India has the world’s second-biggest rail network. This, along with the fact that it transports 23 million passengers each day, helps to explain why its trains are so full that passengers are frequently seen hanging over the side.
Taking the train is a long-standing practice in India; the oldest train in the world, built in 1855, also travels on the India rail network between New Delhi and Rajasthan.
Take a peek at these crazily crowded trains in India if you think your commute is terrible or airport queues are giving you the travel blues.
You could feel a bit less claustrophobic as a result.
India’s current population is 1.2 billion. Indian Railways is one of the world’s largest employers, with 1.4 million on staff. 11,000 trains are operated every day in India. 71,000 miles of tracks make up Indian Railways. The fastest train in India, the New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi, runs at 93 mph. The slowest train, the the Metupalayam Ooty Nilgiri, runs as slow as 6 mph. At that speed, you could jump off and back on if you drop something. Safety regulations require four emergency exit windows in each train car. The Guwahati Thiruvananthapuram Express holds the record for the most-often delayed train. Delay times can be up to 12 hours. The New Delhi Railway Station holds the Guinness Book of Records for the largest Route Relay Interlocking System. The Trivandrum-H. Nizamuddin Rajdhani train takes the country’s longest non-stop route. It travels six and a half hours between Vadodara and Kota. The train route with the most stops is the Howrah-Amritsar Express, which stops 115 times. Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta is the station with the longest name. Ib, on the hand, located near Jharsuguda in Odisha, has the shortest name.
India’s current population is 1.2 billion.
Ahmad Masood/Reuters
Indian Railways is one of the world’s largest employers, with 1.4 million on staff.
Ajay Verma/Reuters
11,000 trains are operated every day in India.
Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters
71,000 miles of tracks make up Indian Railways.
Krishna Murari Kishan/Reuters
The fastest train in India, the New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi, runs at 93 mph.
Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
The slowest train, the the Metupalayam Ooty Nilgiri, runs as slow as 6 mph. At that speed, you could jump off and back on if you drop something.
Ahmad Masood/Reuters
Safety regulations require four emergency exit windows in each train car.
Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
The Guwahati Thiruvananthapuram Express holds the record for the most-often delayed train. Delay times can be up to 12 hours.
Jitendra Prakash/Reuters
The New Delhi Railway Station holds the Guinness Book of Records for the largest Route Relay Interlocking System.
Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters
The Trivandrum-H. Nizamuddin Rajdhani train takes the country’s longest non-stop route. It travels six and a half hours between Vadodara and Kota.
Shailesh Andrade/Reuters
The train route with the most stops is the Howrah-Amritsar Express, which stops 115 times.
Ahmad Masood/Reuters
Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta is the station with the longest name.
Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters
Ib, on the hand, located near Jharsuguda in Odisha, has the shortest name.