1. Which of the following rail line is not a part of the “Mountain Railways of India”?
a) Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
b) Nilgiri Mountain Railway
c) Kalka – Shimla Railway
d) Lumding – Badarpur Railway
Explanation: The “Mountain Railways of India” consists of three rail lines namely: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway and Kalka – Shimla Railway. These lines are narrow gauge and are not included in the Project Unigauge. They are included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites.
2. Which of the following narrow gauge line is not included in Project Unigauge and is on the “tentative list” of UNESCO World Heritage Site?
a) Matheran Hill Railway
b) Nilgiri Mountain Railway
c) Ahmedabad – Ranuj Railway
d) Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Explanation: The Matheran Hill Railway is a narrow gauge line of 610 mm size in the state of Maharashtra. This will not be converted to broad gauge line. It has been preserved to increase the tourism in the country. It is also on the “tentative list” of UNESCO World Heritage site. This railway connects Neral in Mumbai to Matheran in the Western Ghats.
3. The Lucknow – Sitapur rail line in Uttar Pradesh was converted to broad gauge (as part of Project Unigauge) in which year?
a) 2017
b) 2016
c) 2019
d) 2014
Explanation: The conversion of 90 km stretch of Lucknow – Sitapur rail line to broad gauge was completed in January, 2019. The former Minister of State for Railways, ManojSinha inaugurated the new rail line.
4. Suppose India had decided to convert all rail lines to standard gauge in “Project Unigauge”. What benefits it would have served?
a) Reduction in project completion time
b) Reduction in project cost
c) Better connectivity of rail lines with other countries
d) Increase in speed of train
Explanation: If India adopted Standard gauge for all its rail lines, then it would help in better connectivity with other countries through rail. Having a better connection through rail with other countries would help in easy transportation of goods and passengers.
5. If a uniform gauge is chosen throughout the country, the transport bottlenecks will ______
a) Increases
b) Decreases
c) Remains same
d) Depends on speed of train
Explanation: A transport bottleneck means disruption in the traffic movement of vehicles. In Railways, this would refer to “Break of Gauge” points. So, if a uniform gauge is chosen throughout the country, the transport bottlenecks will reduce.
6. What does alignment of a railway track mean?
a) Direction and position of the centerline of track in horizontal plane only
b) Direction and position @ 50mm distance on either side of centerline of track
c) Direction and position of the centerline of track in both horizontal and vertical planes
d) Direction and position of the centerline of track in vertical plane only
Explanation: In railway terminology, “Alignment” means the direction and position of the centerline of the railway track with respect to both horizontal and vertical planes. A proper alignment of the track will ensure the safety and comfort of the passengers.
7. Which of the following is not an example of vertical alignment?
a) Level track
b) Gradient
c) Vertical curve
d) Gauge
Explanation: The vertical alignment of a railway track refers to the direction and position it follows in the vertical plane. This includes gradient, level track and vertical curve. Whereas the horizontal alignment of a railway track refers to the direction and position it follows in the plan.
8. The alignment of a railway track can be changed very easily.
a) true
b) false
Explanation: False. Once a railway track is constructed, it is very difficult to change its alignment. This is because of the difficulty in acquiring more land and reconstructing the already existing costly structures. Therefore, changing the alignment will take more time and prove costly.
9. How is accuracy of the rail alignment related to the operating speed of the train?
a) Inversely proportional
b) Directly proportional
c) No relation exists
d) Varies from place to place
Explanation: More the accuracy of the rail alignment more will be the operating speed of the train. Improper alignment (either in horizontal plane or vertical plane) will reduce the speed of train and cause discomfort to the passengers.
10. The unigauge policy of Indian Railways will help small towns and villages gain better transportation infrastructure.
a) true
b) false
Explanation: True. Due to low population of small towns and villages, narrow or metre gauge lines were used in these areas to save cost. But this largely affected their connectivity to other towns or cities (i.e. they encountered “Break of Gauge” problems). The unigauge policy of converting all rail lines to broad gauge will help solve this problem of small towns.