Indian Railways manages the world’s largest rail network. The railways are the lifeline of the nation, transporting men and material across the country at the most economical rates. According to IBEF, the Indian Railways route length network is spread over 115,000 km, with 12,617 passenger trains and 7,421 freight trains each day from 7,349 stations plying 23 million travellers and 3 million tonne (MT) of freight daily. The revenues from the passenger segment in the last 10 years expanded at a CAGR of 10.42 per cent, with the total revenue earnings in FY17 totalling to around US$ 7.2 billion. Passenger earnings stood at US$ 6.8 billion during April-February 2017-18. Indian Railways has recorded 5 per cent jump in freight, passenger traffic in the last 8 months. The going is getting tougher and challenging with every passing day due to growth of population and demand from the industry at large. The policy makers and the people on the ground are collaborating like never before making full use of the technology to ensure smooth transportation of men and material. Still lot needs to be achieved by the railways. Sandeep Sharma takes a look at the railways sector in India. PROGRESS CARD