History & Milestones — Set 2

Correct Answer: C. Bibek Debroy Committee

• **Bibek Debroy Committee** = In 2015, the committee headed by economist Bibek Debroy submitted a report recommending sweeping reforms in Indian Railways, including the landmark suggestion to merge the separate Railway Budget back with the General Budget. • **Merger implemented in 2017** — The government accepted the recommendation and merged the two budgets from the 2017–18 fiscal year onward, ending the 92-year-old practice of a standalone rail budget that began after the 1924 Acworth Committee. • The same committee also recommended corporatization of the rail network and greater private participation, many elements of which are still being progressively implemented. • 💡 Option A (Kakodkar Committee) is wrong because the Kakodkar Committee (2012) focused on railway safety reforms, not budget structure; Option B (Khanna Committee) is wrong because it is not the committee associated with this budget merger recommendation; Option D (Sam Pitroda Committee) is wrong because Sam Pitroda led the Indian Railways Report on High Speed Rail and track modernization, not budget merger.

Correct Answer: D. Kolkata

• **Kolkata** = India's first Metro Rail was commissioned in Kolkata on 24 October 1984, with the initial section running between Esplanade and Bhowanipore (Netaji Bhawan), making it the first underground rapid transit system in the country. • **16.45 km first phase** — The full North–South corridor from Dum Dum to Tollygunge (now Kavi Subhash) covering 16.45 km was completed in stages by 1995; planning began in the 1970s under the Soviet-influenced urban development model. • Kolkata Metro is now administered as a separate railway zone (Metro Railway, Kolkata) under Indian Railways, and the city continues to expand its network with multiple new lines. • 💡 Option A (Delhi) is wrong because Delhi Metro opened in December 2002, nearly two decades after Kolkata; Option B (Chennai) is wrong because Chennai's MRTS opened in 1997 and is elevated, not the first metro; Option C (Mumbai) is wrong because Mumbai had no metro until 2014 when Line 1 (Versova–Andheri–Ghatkopar) opened.

Correct Answer: A. West Central Railway

• **West Central Railway** = West Central Railway (headquartered in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh) became the first railway zone in India to achieve 100% electrification of its broad-gauge network, completing the milestone in early 2021. • **Mission 100% electrification** — Indian Railways set a national target to electrify its entire broad-gauge network by December 2023 to eliminate diesel traction, cut operating costs, and reduce carbon footprint; West Central Railway led this drive. • The zone covers key routes through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh and plays a critical role in freight movement for the Dedicated Freight Corridor network. • 💡 Option B (Western Railway) is wrong because Western Railway achieved electrification later and is not the first to complete 100% broad-gauge electrification; Option C (Southern Railway) is wrong because Southern Railway's electrification drive was ongoing but it was not first; Option D (North Eastern Railway) is wrong because that zone operates in challenging terrain and was not the first to fully electrify.

Correct Answer: C. Surekha Yadav

• **Surekha Yadav** = She became India's (and Asia's) first female locomotive pilot when she was recruited by Central Railway in 1988, breaking a profession that had been exclusively male since Indian Railways began in 1853. • **Vande Bharat milestone** — In 2023, Surekha Yadav made further history by becoming the first woman to drive the Vande Bharat Express on the Solapur–Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus route during the Women's Day run. • Her achievement inspired thousands of women to apply as loco pilots, and Indian Railways today employs hundreds of female train drivers across zones. • 💡 Option A (Bhavani Devi) is wrong because Bhavani Devi is a fencer, not a railway loco pilot; Option B (Anita Kumari) is wrong because no female loco pilot named Anita Kumari holds the first-ever distinction; Option D (Sarla Sharma) is wrong because she is not documented as India's first female locomotive pilot.

Correct Answer: D. 1998

• **1998** = The Konkan Railway was officially completed and inaugurated for full service in 1998, after nearly a decade of construction through one of India's most geographically challenging terrains along the western coastline. • **760 km, 2,000 bridges, 91 tunnels** — The project stretches 760 km from Roha (Maharashtra) to Thokur (Karnataka), crossing 2,000 bridges and 91 tunnels through the Sahyadri (Western Ghats) mountain range, making it a unique engineering marvel. • Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), established in 1990, used innovative techniques including anti-collision devices and was India's first railway project to be built as a corporation. • 💡 Option A (1992) is wrong because construction was still ongoing in 1992 and the project faced severe landslide-related delays; Option B (2005) is wrong because the railway was already in service by then; Option C (2002) is wrong because the full Konkan Railway line was inaugurated in 1998, not 2002.

Correct Answer: A. 1855

• **1855** = The Fairy Queen was built in 1855 by Kitson, Thompson and Hewitson in Leeds, England, and is certified by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest working steam locomotive still in operational service. • **Restored in 1997** — After decades of display at the National Rail Museum, New Delhi, the Fairy Queen was restored to working condition in 1997 and operated special heritage tourist excursions between Delhi and Alwar in Rajasthan. • The locomotive won the Guinness World Record in 1998 and was awarded the Hall of Fame award by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for its contribution to heritage tourism. • 💡 Option B (1830) is wrong because while British locomotive Rocket was built around that era, Fairy Queen was not made in 1830; Option C (1872) is wrong because that year post-dates Fairy Queen's actual 1855 construction; Option D (1890) is wrong because by 1890 the Fairy Queen already had 35 years of operational history.

Correct Answer: C. New Delhi

• **New Delhi** = India's Computerized Passenger Reservation System (PRS) was first launched in New Delhi in 1986, replacing the entirely manual, paper-based system that caused long queues and frequent booking errors. • **CRISP system** — The initial system was known as CRISP (Computerised Reservation Integrated System for Passenger) and was developed with assistance from CMC Limited; by 1987 it expanded to Mumbai, and was eventually rolled out across the country through the 1990s. • Today the PRS network handles over 1 million transactions daily and is integrated with the IRCTC portal, which itself was launched in 2002 and is one of the world's highest-traffic ticketing websites. • 💡 Option A (Mumbai) is wrong because Mumbai got PRS in 1987, one year after Delhi's 1986 launch; Option B (Kolkata) is wrong because Kolkata's computerized reservation came after Delhi and Mumbai; Option D (Chennai) is wrong because Chennai was part of the later national rollout, not the 1986 pilot.

Correct Answer: D. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

• **Darjeeling Himalayan Railway** = The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), popularly called the 'Toy Train', was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 — the first Indian railway to receive this recognition — for its outstanding universal value as an engineering achievement. • **2 ft narrow gauge, opened 1881** — Operating on a 2-foot (610 mm) narrow gauge, the DHR climbs from New Jalpaiguri (about 100 m) to Darjeeling (2,076 m) using four complete loops and three Z-reversals (zigzag switchbacks) to conquer the steep gradients. • The 88 km line was built between 1879 and 1881 by Franklin Prestage and is still operational today using original steam locomotives on some tourist sections. • 💡 Option A (Nilgiri Mountain Railway) is wrong because it was added to the UNESCO list in 2005, six years after DHR; Option B (Matheran Hill Railway) is wrong because it is not a UNESCO World Heritage site; Option C (Kalka-Shimla Railway) is wrong because it was added to the UNESCO list in 2008, nine years after DHR's inscription.

Correct Answer: A. Vande Bharat Express

• **Vande Bharat Express** = India's first semi-high speed train, originally called Train 18, was launched on 15 February 2019 on the New Delhi–Varanasi route, designed and built entirely at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. • **EMU technology, 160 km/h design speed** — Unlike traditional trains with separate locomotives, Vande Bharat is an Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) where traction motors are distributed across coaches, enabling faster acceleration and a design speed of 160 km/h. • The train was built in just 18 months at a cost of ₹97 crore — far cheaper than comparable European trains — and features automatic doors, GPS-based passenger information, CCTV, and bio-vacuum toilets. • 💡 Option B (Gatimaan Express) is wrong because Gatimaan Express (launched 2016) is a loco-hauled train, not a semi-high speed EMU; Option C (Tejas Express) is wrong because Tejas Express (2017) is a premium loco-hauled train, not the first semi-high speed train; Option D (Humsafar Express) is wrong because Humsafar is a sleeper AC train, not a semi-high speed service.

Correct Answer: C. Lucknow

• **Lucknow** = The Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) is headquartered at Manak Nagar, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and functions as the sole R&D wing and technical advisor to the Indian Ministry of Railways. • **Established 1957** — RDSO was formed in 1957 by merging two older organizations — the Central Standards Office (CSO) and the Railway Testing and Research Centre (RTRC) — to create a unified body for railway research and standard-setting. • RDSO sets specifications for all railway equipment from rolling stock and bridges to signalling and telecommunications, and is responsible for certifying new technology before it enters service. • 💡 Option A (Delhi) is wrong because RDSO's campus is in Lucknow, not Delhi, though the Railway Ministry is in Delhi; Option B (Hyderabad) is wrong because Hyderabad hosts no central railway research body of this nature; Option D (Bengaluru) is wrong because Bengaluru has South Western Railway headquarters and Metro projects, not RDSO.