PHOTO ESSAY: Dispatches | India in Portraits and Stories...

Photo by Kristian Bertel - Overcrowded train in Delhi.

Overcrowded trains
Despite a massive increase in passengers and train services over the past five decades, much of the traffic management system continues to rely on equipment from the colonial era. This equipment relies heavily on manual operations and many of the worst accidents in recent years have been blamed on human signaling errors.

Photo by Kristian Bertel - Cows resting along the railroad tracks at the Sadar Bazar
train station in central Delhi.

Diverse Indian countryside
Although distances in India are long and Indian trains aren't the world's best, traveling in them can add a fascinating new dimension to a visitor's experience. There is virtually no better way to make friends with the local people and see the spectacular and diverse Indian countryside. On many routes the railways are the fastest and cheapest way to get around.

Photo by Kristian Bertel - An Indian man approaches the Railway Station in central Delhi.

Photo by Kristian Bertel - An Indian man carrying goods on his shoulder.

The train sector
The mainpart of the public trains in India are coloured in a lightblue colour. The train sector also include cargo trains and the increasing number of luxurious trains for the wealthy travellers. Palace on Wheels, voted as the 4th best luxury train in the world is a luxury train in India. Palace on Wheels offer a luxurious ride to the guest across destinations in Rajasthan along with Agra.

Photo by Kristian Bertel - Passenger on the railroad station in Sadar Bazar station, Delhi.

Ticket-less passengers
The station transports an estimated number of passengers of 240,000. In some North Indian States (like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh), all the non-AC coaches can be over-crowded because of local ticket-less passengers.

Photo by Kristian Bertel - Scenery of passengers on the train station of Varanasi.

20 million people every day
Nearly all trains in India are operated by the government-run Indian Railways (IR). IR is the third largest rail network in the world, and the rail system is efficient, if not always on schedule. Tracks running well over 60,000 kilometers help connect about 7500 stations, ferrying nearly 20 million people every day.

Photo by Kristian Bertel - Luggage carrier in Varanasi.

Train accidents in India
The worst accident on India's massive rail network was in 1981 when a train plunged into a river in the eastern state of Bihar, killing up to 800 people. Thousands are killed on India's train network every year. The crush to board some trains in India is so bad that people climb on the roof or travel on the vestibule, acts which are considered a crime. Many also do this to avoid buying a ticket. According to official figures, an average 4,000 people die a year on the suburban rail network of Mumbai after being crushed under trains, electrocuted by overhead power lines or killed as they lean from jam-packed carriages to gasp for air.