Trains are the lifeline of our country. Even though many people travel through cars, buses and aeroplane, there are still a huge number of people who prefer trains. Yours sincerely is just one among them and I know most of you must’ve travelled by train at least once in your lifetime.
So, whenever we travel through a train, there’s always a number visible on the compartments and in front of the engine Have you ever wondered what does that mean?
Well, that’s a very important number and carries a great significance especially the first digit. In this article, we’ll share the significance of that 1st digit and the number and what does the whole sequence actually means.
Sequence starting with 0
The trains with a sequence starting from 0 run on special occasions like Holi, Diwali and other holidays.
Sequence starting from 1
The trains with number starting from digit “1” represent the trains of long distance.
Sequence starting from 2
A sequence starting from “2” also reflects the trains meant for long distance and it is used when the train numbers starting with 1 are exhausted in any series.
Sequence starting from 3
These trains mainly start from Kolkata Junction and are called urban trains
Sequence starting from 4
The sequence of trains that run between metro cities like Delhi, Chennai and others start from the digit “4”.
Sequence starting from 5
The normal passenger trains have their sequence starting from “5”
Sequence starting from 6
MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) trains have a sequence starting from 6.
Sequence starting from 7
DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) trains have a sequence number starting from 7.
Sequence starting from 8
This sequence tells about the reserved position of the train.
Sequence starting from 9
The trains with sequence starting from 9 run between Mumbai’s suburban areas.
However, this is not the only nomenclature used in our country and there are some others also.
Sometimes the first two digits of a sequence represent the manufacturing year of the train. Like a train with number 05052 means that it was manufactured in 2005. A train with the sequence 8239 means it was made in 1982.
There is a separate nomenclature for AC trains also. Have a look-
001-025: AC First Class
025-050: Composite 1st AC +AC-2T
050-100: AC 2T
101-150: AC 3T
151-200: AC Chair Car
201-400: Sleeper 2nd Class
401-600: General Second Class
601-700: 2L Sitting Jan Shatabdi Chair Car
701-800: Sitting Cum Luggage Rake
Similarly, there are trains with words like WCR, EF and NF which means that the train is manufactured by Central Railway, East Railways and North Railways respectively.
We hope it added up to your knowledge base.