In 1844, the Indian Railways in its earlier avatar was called the East Indian Railway Company, it was founded by the then Governor of India, Lord Hardinge. Under his supervision several experimental trains were introduced from Bombay to Calcutta, but the real breakthrough came in 1853, when the first passenger train service was inaugurated between Bombay and Thane. The year following that witnessed Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India, formulating a plan to have a network of trunk lines connecting the principal regions of India. Today, the Indian Railway stands as one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world. Catering to over 18 million passengers and carrying more than 2 million tonnes of freight daily, it traverses the length and breadth of the country and covers 6,909 stations - a gigantic route of more than 63,327 kms. With a workforce of 1.5 million, it is the single largest employer in the world. Calling it 'big' would truly be an understatement.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC)
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) is a Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry of Railways. IRCTC was incorporated on 27th September, 1999 as an extended arm of the Indian Railways to upgrade, professionalize and manage the catering and hospitality services. IRCTC is one of the world's largest e-commerce portal. While its website (www.irctc.co.in) receives over 5.5 million hits a month. IRCTC also has a wide range of Rail Tourism products.While discharging its mandate, the Company has made a significant mark in its passenger-services oriented business lines like setting up of Food Plazas on Railway premises, ‘Railneer', Rail Tour Packages and ‘Internet Ticketing' bringing great deal of professionalism into the operations.

Corporate Office : 9th Floor, Bank of Baroda Building, 16 Parliament Street, New Delhi 110001 Telfax : 011-23316560 Email: maharajas@irctc.com