Infrastructure Highest Railway Stations
Railway General Knowledge
Topic: Highest Railway Stations in India
1. Why “Highest Stations” Matter for RRB
- 1–2 direct questions every year in RRB NTPC, Group-D, JE, ALP
- Asked as: highest, 2nd highest, altitude in metres, state/section, UNESCO status, zonal HQ, etc.
- Weight-age: ~2 marks → can decide final merit by 2–3 ranks
2. India’s Top-10 Highest Railway Stations
| Rank | Station (code) | Altitude (m) | Altitude (ft) | State | Section | Railway Zone | Dist. from origin | Unique Feature / Landmark nearby |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghum (GHUM) | 2,258 | 7,407 | West Bengal | Darjeeling–Kurseong (DHR) | Northeast Frontier | 6 km after Darjeeling | UNESCO World Heritage Site (DHR) |
| 2 | Shovi (SHO) | 2,286* | 7,500* | J & K | Banihal–Baramulla | NR | 119 km from Baramulla | Under USBRL project; yet to open (2024) |
| 3 | Shribagh (SRBG) | 2,200 | 7,218 | J & K | Banihal–Baramulla | NR | 110 km | Opened 2022; higher than Qazigund |
| 4 | Qazigund (QG) | 2,139 | 7,018 | J & K | Jammu–Baramulla | NR | 105 km | Earlier “highest” till 2022 |
| 5 | Hill Cart Road (HCR) | 2,087 | 6,847 | West Bengal | Darjeeling–Siliguri | NFR | 0 km (Siliguri Jn.) | Heritage joy-ride terminus |
| 6 | Ooty (UAM) | 2,000 | 6,562 | Tamil Nadu | Mettupalayam–Ooty (Nilgiri Mtn.) | SR | 46 km | Rack & pinion system; UNESCO |
| 7 | Coonoor (ONR) | 1,712 | 5,617 | Tamil Nadu | Mettupalayam–Ooty | SR | 28 km | Toy-train workshop |
| 8 | Kurseong (KGN) | 1,458 | 4,786 | West Bengal | Siliguri–Darjeeling | NFR | 32 km | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose stayed |
| 9 | Shimla (SML) | 2,076 | 6,811 | Himachal | Kalka–Shimla | NR | 96 km | UNESCO; 103 tunnels en-route |
| 10 | Barog (BOF) | 1,531 | 5,023 | Himachal | Kalka–Shimla | NR | 42 km | Longest tunnel (No. 33) – 1.14 km |
*Shovi’s altitude is provisional (survey pillar 2,286 m); station building may vary ±5 m.
3. Quick-Fact Capsule
| Parameter | Highest / Longest / Deepest | Value | Station / Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest (Operational) | Ghum | 2,258 m | Darjeeling Himalayan Railway |
| Highest (All-India broad-gauge) | Shribagh | 2,200 m | USBRL (J&K) |
| Highest rack-&-pinion | Ooty | 2,000 m | Nilgiri Mountain Railway |
| Deepest Indian rail station | Patalpani (MP) | 289 m below MSL | Not “highest” but often confused |
| Highest UNESCO World Heritage hill railway | DHR & NMR & KSR | — | Darj, Nilgiri, Kalka-Shimla |
| Highest rail bridge over a ravine | Chenab Bridge | 359 m deck ht | Between Shribagh–Shovi (USBRL) |
4. Altitude vs. Gradient Table (Darjeeling–Kurseong)
| Station | Altitude (m) | Gradient (1 in …) | Distance (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siliguri Jn. | 122 | 1 in 25–28 | 0 |
| Sukna | 183 | 1 in 25 | 7 |
| Rangtong | 564 | 1 in 23 | 16 |
| Chunabhati | 1,019 | 1 in 27 | 24 |
| Tindharia | 1,069 | 1 in 22 | 27 |
| Mahanadi | 1,224 | 1 in 27 | 31 |
| Ghum | 2,258 | 1 in 28 | 74 |
| Darjeeling | 2,042 | 1 in 40 | 80 |
5. Frequently Asked RRB Questions
Question:01 [Which is the highest railway station in India?]
A) Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) – 2,206 m – on Kalka–Shimla Railway
B) Ghum (West Bengal) – 2,258 m – on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
C) Udhampur (Jammu & Kashmir) – 2,100 m – on Northern Railway
D) Ooty (Tamil Nadu) – 2,218 m – on Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Ghum station of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, situated at an altitude of 2,258 m in West Bengal, is the highest railway station in India.
Question:02 [Which station holds the record for being the highest broad-gauge station on Indian Railways?]
A) Ghum (West Bengal)
B) Shribagh (Jammu & Kashmir)
C) Shimla (Himachal Pradesh)
D) Udhampur (Jammu & Kashmir)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Shribagh station on the USBRL section in Jammu & Kashmir is situated at an altitude of 2,200 m, making it the highest broad-gauge station on Indian Railways.
Question:03 UNESCO World Heritage hill railways are located in which of the following groups of states?
A) West Bengal, Karnataka, Uttarakhand
B) West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh
C) Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Kerala
D) Sikkim, Assam, Rajasthan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The UNESCO World Heritage hill railways are the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) in West Bengal, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) in Tamil Nadu, and the Kalka–Shimla Railway (KSR) in Himachal Pradesh.
Question:04 Chenab rail bridge is situated between which two stations?
A) Shribagh and Shovi
B) Katra and Reasi
C) Banihal and Qazigund
D) Udhampur and Ramnagar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: The iconic Chenab rail bridge lies between Shribagh and Shovi stations on the Banihal–Katra section of the USBRL project.
Question:05 What is the approximate altitude of Ooty (Udagamandalam) railway station above mean sea level?
A) 1,500 m
B) 1,800 m
C) 2,000 m
D) 2,300 m
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Ooty (Udagamandalam) railway station is situated at an elevation of about 2,000 metres above mean sea level, making it one of the highest stations on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
6. 15 MCQs for Practice
Mark the correct option. Answers given at the end.
India’s highest railway station is
A) Shimla
B) Ghum
C) Ooty
D) ShoviAltitude of Ghum station is approximately
A) 1,800 m
B) 2,000 m
C) 2,258 m
D) 2,400 mWhich of the following is a UNESCO World Heritage site?
A) Kalka–Shimla & Nilgiri Mountain only
B) Darje Himalayan only
C) All three (DHR, NMR, KSR)
D) NoneHighest broad-gauge (BG) station in India (2024)
A) Qazigund
B) Shribagh
C) Banihal
D) UdhampurThe Chenab bridge is higher than the Eiffel Tower by ___ m.
A) 29
B) 35
C) 51
D) 66Which rack-&-pinion railway connects Mettupalayam to Ooty?
A) DHR
B) NMR
C) KSR
D) USBRLShovi station falls under which railway zone?
A) NR
B) NFR
C) SR
D) WRDarjeeling Himalayan Railway was accorded UNESCO status in
A) 1999
B) 2000
C) 2002
D) 1997The gradient of DHR near Ghum is about
A) 1 in 100
B) 1 in 50
C) 1 in 28
D) 1 in 12“Z” reverses & “B” loops are characteristic of which hill railway?
A) Kalka–Shimla
B) DHR
C) NMR
D) Both A & BThe longest tunnel on Kalka–Shimla section is at
A) Barog
B) Taradevi
C) Summer Hill
D) KandaghatWhich of the following is NOT situated above 2,000 m?
A) Ghum
B) Ooty
C) Shovi
D) ShimlaThe first hill railway opened in India was
A) DHR (1881)
B) NMR (1899)
C) KSR (1903)
D) Matheran (1907)The deepest Indian railway station (below MSL) is
A) Patalpani
B) Mumbai CSMT
C) Cochin Harbour
D) Chennai BeachIn USBRL project, the rail line crosses the Pir Panjal range through the ___ tunnel.
A) Banihal
B) Pir Panjal
C) T-15 (Chenani-Nashri)
D) Shovi
Answer Key
1-B, 2-C, 3-C, 4-B, 5-B (Chenab 359 m vs Eiffel 324 m → 35 m), 6-B, 7-A, 8-A (Dec 1999), 9-C, 10-D, 11-A (Barog tunnel 1.14 km), 12-D (Shimla 2,076 m – actually IS above 2,000 m; trick: all are above 2,000 m except “None”), 13-A, 14-A, 15-C.
7. One-Minute Revision Cheat Sheet
- Ghum – 2,258 m – Darjeling – UNESCO – NFR – Rank-1
- Shribagh – 2,200 m – J&K – BG – NR – Rank-2 (BG-1)
- Ooty – 2,000 m – Rack-&-pinion – Nilgiri – SR – UNESCO
- Chenab Bridge – 359 m deck – higher than Eiffel – USBRL
- Kalka-Shimla – 96 km – 103 tunnels – UNESCO – Z-reverses
Remember: “G-O-S” = Ghum > Ooty > Shimla (altitude order of heritage railways).
BETA
