Indian Railways operates multiple classes of rolling stock, manufactured by self-owned coach-production facilities.

As of March 2023[update], Indian Railways' rolling stock consisted of 318,196 freight wagons and 84,863 passenger coaches.

[8] In 1853, the first passenger train on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge ran for 34 kilometres (21 mi) between Bombay and Thane which had 14-carriages carrying 400 people, hauled by three steam locomotives: the Sahib, Sindh and Sultan.

Eastern India's first passenger train ran 39 km (24 mi) from Howrah, near Kolkata, to Hoogly on 15 August 1854.

[6] The construction of the first main line in the South between Royapuram in Madras and Arcot started in 1853, which became operational on 1 July 1856.

[13] On 24 February 1873, a horse-drawn 3.8 km (2.4 mi) tram opened in Calcutta between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat street.

[29] In 1957, Indian Railways adopted 25 kV AC traction with the first runs beginning in December 1959 with the WAM-1 locomotives.

[40] In March 2020, Indian Railways announced a nationwide shutdown of passenger service to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in India with the freight operations continuing to transport essential goods.

[54][55] Indian Railways announced plans to become a net-zero carbon emission railway by 2030 and has implemented rainwater harvesting at stations,[56] reforestation along the tracks,[57] introduction of solar-powered trains,[58] installation of solar and wind power generation facilities,[59] and sustainable LED lighting at all the stations.

[70] Additionally, officers on special duty include those overseeing human resources, Railway Protection Force, health and safety.

[3] In addition, there are a number of manufacturing units, training establishments, PSUs and other undertakings under the purview of the Indian Railways.

[3] Apart from standard passenger classes, the Indian Railways has other specialized coach types used for dedicated functions.

[77] Indian Railways also operates three rail wheel manufacturing factories at Bangalore, Chhpra and Raebareli.

[3] As of 31 March 2023[update], Indian railway network spanned 68,584 km (42,616 mi) in route length.

[3] The broad-gauge network is equipped with long-welded, high-tensile 52kg/60kg 90 UTS rails with pre-stressed concrete (PSC) sleepers and elastic fastenings.

In 2017, Indian Railways announced a plan to electrify the country's entire broad gauge rail network by 2023.

[112] Post electrification, 30 billion kWh of electricity will be required on an annual basis for Indian Railways.

[112] As of 1 August 2024[update], Indian Railways has electrified 64,080 km (39,820 mi) or 96.59% of the total broad-gauge route length.

[116] Indian Railways uses a range of signalling technologies and methods to manage its train operations based on traffic density and safety requirements.

Few low density routes still use manual block signalling methods with communication on track clearance based on physical exchange of tokens.

[117] In a few sections, intermediate block signalling is provided to further enhance line capacity with minimal investment.

Indian Railways uses track circuiting, and block proving axle counters for train detection.

[153][154] A non-airconditioned semi-high speed train-set hauled by two modified WAP-5 locomotives was launched as Amrit Bharat Express.

[161][162] Later, AC traction was adopted for suburban lines and are currently operated by Multiple Units (MUs) of various configurations.

[169] Unreserved tickets for short distance or unplanned travels may be purchased at stations or through UTS mobile app at any time before departure.

[173][174] Discounted fares are applicable for railway employees, senior citizens (over age 60), the differently-abled, students, athletes, patients and those taking competitive examinations.

[6] Indian Railways ferries various commodities and cargo to cater to various industrial, consumer, and agricultural segments.

[104] In 2022–23, Indian Railways operated 8,479 trains on average daily and transported 1418.1 million tonnes of freight.

Hence, freight services were unable to complete other modes of transport on both cost and speed of delivery, leading to continuous erosion of market share till the early 2000s.

[177] End-to-end integrated transport solutions such as roll-on, roll-off (RORO) service, a road-rail system pioneered by Konkan Railway in 1999 to carry trucks on flatbed trailers is extended to other routes.