IR’s route length stretches to 63,465km with running track of 84,260km. Total track including yards, sidings etc. stands at 108,805km. The table below compares the network at the end of 2004–05 with earlier years:
| Year | Route km | Running track km | Total track km# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrified | Total | Electrified | Total | Electrified | Total | |
| 1950–51 | 388 | 53,596 | 937 | 59,315 | 1,253 | 77,609 |
| 1960–61 | 748 | 56,247 | 1,752 | 63,602 | 2,259 | 83,706 |
| 1970–71 | 3,706 | 59,790 | 7,447 | 71.669 | 9,586 | 98,546 |
| 1980–81 | 5,345 | 61,240 | 10,474 | 75,860 | 13,448 | 104,480 |
| 1990–91 | 9,968 | 62,367 | 18,954 | 78.607 | 25,305 | 108,858 |
| 2000–01 | 14,856 | 63,028 | 27,937 | 81,865 | 36,950 | 108,706 |
| 2001–02 | 15,994 | 63,140 | 29,567 | 82.354 | 39,030 | 109,227 |
| 2002–03 | 16,272 | 63,122 | 29,974 | 82.492 | 39,358 | 109,221 |
| 2003–04 | 16,776 | 63,221 | 30,589 | 83,859 | 41,916 | 108,486 |
| 2004–05 | 17,495@ | 63,465 | 32,686 | 84,260 | 43,364 | 108,805 |
#: Includes track in yards, sidings, crossings at stations, etc.
@: Includes RKms. Electrified but not yet opened to traffic.
Following table shows route kilometers of Railway lines in various States and Union Territories at the end of 2004–05:
| State or UT | Route km |
|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | 5,205 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 1 |
| Assam | 2,506 |
| Bihar | 3,379 |
| Chandigarh | 8 |
| Chhatisgarh | 1,159 |
| Delhi | 205 |
| Goa | 69 |
| Gujarat | 5,284 |
| Haryana | 1,597 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 285 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 138 |
| Jharkhand | 1,941 |
| Karnataka | 2,982 |
| Kerala | 1,050 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 4,905 |
| Maharashtra | 5,527 |
| Manipur | 1 |
| Mizoram | 2 |
| Nagaland | 13 |
| Orissa | 2,280 |
| Pondicherry | 11 |
| Punjab | 2,098 |
| Rajasthan | 5,838 |
| Tamil Nadu | 4,171 |
| Tripura | 64 |
| Uttaranchal | 345 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 8,545 |
| West Bengal | 3,856 |
| Total | 63,465 |
Note: The remaining States and Union Territories have no railway line.
| Wagon Type | Number |
|---|---|
| BOXN | 64469 |
| BCNA | 42957 |
| BCX | 9208 |
| BOX | 8885 |
| BTPN | 7094 |
| BOBS/BOBX | 1542 |
| BLCA/BCLB | 4201 |
| BLLA/BLLB | 405 |
| BFKN/BFKI | 1572 |
| BOY | 900 |
| BOXN CR | 580 |
| BOXNHA | 735 |
| BCCNR | 35 |
| Total | 222,379 |
| Traction Type | Number |
|---|---|
| Steam | 44 |
| Diesel | 4801 |
| Electric | 3065 |
| Total | 7910 |
| Vehicle Type | Number | Seating Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| EMU coaches | 5006 | 1,071,174 |
| Passenger coaches incl. rail cars | 37119 | 2,651,025 |
| DMU/DHMU | 316 | 31,111 |
| Others (parcel/mail/luggage vans) | 5822 |