Carrying over 8 billion passengers every year, Indian Railways is the fourth largest railway network in the world. That’s huge. Isn’t it? Founded on 16th April 1853, Indian railway network has a total track length of 121,410 km over a 67,368 km route. Railways are one of the most looked after mode of transportation in the country. Maybe the same is the reason for the fact that Indian railways are the eighth-largest employer in the world with 1.4 million(approx.) number of employees. These railway networks expand to some extraordinary routes that cover the length and breadth of entire India. So, here we’re today with a list of 10 Longest Railway Routes in India.
1. Vivek Express – Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari
The route followed by the Vivek Express is the longest railway route followed in India. This train joins the Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari. The distance covered by this train is 4,233 km. This train has a running time of roughly 80 hours and 15 minutes and has 55 stops scheduled during the entire journey. This train starts in northern Assam region and extends to Kanyakumari in the South. This train is named after Swami Vivekananda and was introduced to mark the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of the Indian philosopher and visionary. The route followed by this train is the ninth largest in the world. This train passes through eight states during its entire course of the journey.
2. Thiruvananthapuram – Silchar Superfast Express – Thiruvananthapuram to Silchar
The route followed by the Thiruvananthapuram-Silchar Superfast Express is the second longest railway route followed in India. This weekly train earlier used to connect Thiruvananthapuram to Guwahati but on 21st November 2017, the train was extended to Silchar in the east. After this extension, the train became the longest running superfast train in the country. The distance covered by this train is 3,932 kilometres. This train has a running time of roughly 75 hours. This train starts from Thiruvananthapuram in the south and extends to Silchar in the east.
3. Himsagar Express – Jammu Tawi to Kanyakumari
The route followed by the Himsagar Express is the third longest railway route followed in India. This weekly train connects Kanyakumari in the south to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi in the north. The distance covered by this train during its course of the journey is 3709 km. The train covers 12 states during its journey and has a scheduled running time of about 70 hours and 50 minutes. This train is quite famous among the South Indians who have travelled or are looking forward to a visit to Mata Vaishno Devi in the north.
4. Ten Jammu Express – Tirunelveli to Jammu
The route followed by the Ten Jammu Express is the fourth longest railway route in India. This train connects Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu in the south to Katra, Jammu & Kashmir in the north. The distance covered by this train is 3,631 km. The total number of stations covered on this route is 523 and the train has a scheduled stoppage at 62 stations out of 523 stations. This weekly train has a running time of about 71 hours and 20 minutes. During the course of the journey, the train passes through 11 states.
5. Navyug Express – Mangalore to Jammu
The Navyug Express runs on the fifth longest railway route in India. The distance covered by this train is 3,607 km. The network extends from Mangalore Central, Karnataka in the south to Katra, Jammu & Kashmir in the north. This weekly train crosses 15 states during the entire journey. This train has a running time of 68 hours and 10 minutes and halts at 58 scheduled stations during the journey. This train was introduced with a vision to improve the connectivity of Jammu & Kashmir with rest of the country.
6. Humsafar Express- Agartala to Bangalore Cantonment
The next railway route on our list of 10 Longest Railway Routes in India is from Agartala to Bangalore Cantonment. The route followed by the Humsafar Express is the sixth longest railway network in the country. The distance covered by this train is 3,599 km. This train is completely a 3-tier AC sleeper train specially designed by Indian Railways and is known for long-haul routes. The train connects the eastern states with the IT hub of India. Currently, the train is being operated under two train numbers 12503/12504 on the weekly basis.
7. Dibrugarh Express – Yeshwantpur (Bengaluru) to Dibrugarh
The seventh longest railway route in the country extends from New Tinsukia, roughly 15 km away from Dibrugarh, Assam to Yeshwantpur, near Bengaluru, Karnataka. Dibrugarh Express- the train that runs on this route covers 3,547 km during the entire journey. The train takes around 70 hours and 45 minutes to complete the entire route. Some of the important cities connected by this train are Dimapur, Guwahati, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Bengaluru. The train passes through 7 Indian states and has 35 scheduled stops.
8. Raptisagar Express – Ernakulam (Kochi) to Barauni
The next route on our list is the one followed by Raptisagar Express. This train follows the eighth longest railway route in the country. The train expands the railway connectivity from Ernakulam Junction, Kerala to Barauni in Begusarai district of Bihar. A railway network between the south western corner of India and the north eastern corner. The distance covered by this train is 3,438 km and has a scheduled running time of approximately 60 hours and 35 minutes. During the course of the journey, this train crosses 8 states of the country. This train is also a weekly express and stops at about 60 scheduled stations during the journey.
9. Amritsar Kochuveli Express – Amritsar to Kochuveli
Amritsari to Kochuveli is the next railway route on our list. Amritsar Kochuveli Express connects these two places. The train passes through 7 states on its journey from north western city to the southern end of the country. The distance covered by this train is 3,295 km. The time taken by the train to cover the entire route is 57 hours and 20 minutes. Like other trains on the list, this is also a weekly train and stops at 24 scheduled stations during the course of the journey.
10. Dehradun-Kochuveli Superfast Express – Dehradun to Kochuveli
The last route on our list of 10 Longest Railway Routes in India is Dehradun to Kochuveli. Dehradun Kochuveli Superfast Express follows this route in the country. This express train connects Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand to Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala in the South. This train covers a distance of 3,154 km during the entire journey and has a running time of approximately 57 hours and 25 minutes. This train has a scheduled stoppage at 24 stations and passes through nine states.
This marks the end of our list of 10 Longest Railway Routes in India. No doubt, railways play an important role in the development of every nation. From transporting goods to connecting people, railways definitely does wonders. Maybe the same is the reason for Railways being the best-managed mode of transportation in the country.
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