April 16 marked a historical moment for the Indian Railways as it was on that day in 1853 that the first train ran on Indian soil from Boribunder (now Mumbai CST) to Thane. There has been no looking back since. Starting from a stretch of only 31 km, the rail network is now extended to over 63,000 km, connecting every nook and corner of the country.

The earlier steam era gave way to faster electric and diesel traction modes. The open trolley type of third class wooden bogies today belong to the pages of history. Even the ordinary compartments provide reasonably comfortable sitting environ complete with water and lavatory facilities. Chair cars on short distance trains and a variety of air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned services are available to suit every pocket. Today, with a staff strength of over 15 lakh, running approximately 14,000 trains carrying over 13 lakh tons of goods and ferrying around 13 million passengers every day, the Indian Railways is one of the largest networks of its kind in the world.

To celebrate 150 years of the Indian Railways, history was recreated at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus with a special commemorative ‘steam-run’ between Mumabi and Thane of a vintage train depicting the glittering past and present of Indian Railways. The train, on the pattern of the original first run, with almost the same kind of coaches carrying passengers and invitees was flagged off at a colourful function.

Railways is closely connected with national defence. Mobility is very vital for defence forces and over 150 years of its existence, Railways played a crucial role in facilitating mobility of the defence personnel. In peace times, Railways transports men and material for the routine needs of Armed Forces and, in the times of crisis, Railways becomes, a lifeline for the movement of troops and other supporting services. Depending on the need and situation, military special trains are run. In special situations, even special medical trains have been sent to the places affected by calamities. The Indian Army ran a special medical train from August 15, 1997 to January 13, 1998, to commemorate the golden jubilee celebrations of India’s Independence. Rewarded for its efforts by the national and international community, the train was not only showered with praise and thanks givings but had also made it to the Guinness Book of World Records. The train had a functional surgical wing with Army doctors, nurses, equipment and medicines. Again, special compartments are earmarked for the movement of soldiers on transfer.

The Railways has touched lives of defence personnel in many a way. The railway journeys have been source of fun and frolic for the soldiers. Here is an excerpt from a soldier’s diary to depict how mesmerised are our soldiers by their railway journeys: "In the evening roll call, we were told that our unit which was in the Eastern Sector was to move to its new location by a special train. I had never moved by a special military train though I had heard a lot of stories from my seniors. I was looking forward to the journey. As luck would have it, I was detailed along with others to go and take over the special train at the railway station. We went to the railway station the next day. By that time, the Railways had placed the train for loading. We went and inspected the train, all its bogies, flat wagons, kitchen car for water and food items. We got it cleaned also by the railway staff. I must say, I was impressed by the efficiency of the Railways. We played lots of cards during the journey. There was no TV but transistors could function and we used to listen to news. Trains used to be stopped near a canal or a river once in two or three days so that we could bathe and wash our clothes. I have a lot to tell my children about moving by special trains."

Not only the soldiers, even their families and children are charmed of military special train journeys. Nikita Doval travelled in a military special as a child. She narrates the journey which was a heady mix of emotion, fear of militants and overall bonhomie. She writes, "Since military trains were given priority only during emergency situations, it took five days for our peace-time military special to cover the distance between the Kashmir Valley and Calcutta. The train was carrying troops, officers and their families, all more than a thousand in number. As cleaning became a daily routine, the bachelors and young officers in the first few compartments soon lost their patience with waiting for the operations to be completed. They started walking about even as the cleaning progressed and sloshed about all day in their wet shoes and socks. Later, the railway authorities cut off the main water supply. What followed was a sight not to be missed. A long procession of officers of the Indian Army was spotted, towels wrapped around waists, some with soap on their faces in queue before the waiting room toilets. Throughout the journey, the kids and bachelors spent their time playing antakshari and other sundry games. The senior officers too joined in the card playing, a frequent indulgence."

And now a glimpse of the ‘Desert’s Midnight Special’ which ran to accomplish operation Prakaram in the sandy dunes of Rajasthan a few months ago. Jodhpur has been the hub of a heightened military movement in the north-west, housing an organised armed establishment. A trip to this area these days reveals an age-old partnership between the Railways and Indian Army. The fellowship has blossomed over the years, thanks to better technology and the warmth of soldiers of the country. According to Railways officials in Jodhpur, "The smooth functioning is always the result of hard work and planning. At its various yards, the Jodhpur division receives 73 trains in a month which carry military vehicles end-to-end. Each military train needs 19 shunts for unloading. To avoid detention that may have been caused by lack of time, the division had designed and manufactured 55 artificial ramps which were despatched to all unloading stations to avoid extra shunting. Jodhpur Division has eight engines, though it needed eleven for the transportation requirements of operation Parakram. Besides, the Army had decided that 45 days were enough for its entire movement to the operational area. The Railways mobilised more of its men than ever and devised novel methods to meet this target. In the end, it took them only 27 days to achieve complete movement. The concept of captive crew was evolved for the military specials at Jodhpur station."

The benefits of introducing a railway network in a country as vast as India are indeed incalculable and for national defence this network is indispensable.