This set of Railway Engineering Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on “”.
1. Which five year plan did the Government of India introduce “Project Unigauge”?
a) 1985 to 1990
b) 1992 to 1997
c) 1997 to 2002
d) 2002 to 2007
View Answer
Explanation: In the eighth five year plan (1992 to 1997), the Government of India introduced the plan of Indian Railways to convert 6000 km of metre gauge lines to broad gauge. This started the largest project of Indian Railways, i.e. “Project Unigauge”.
2. Which line was first converted to broad gauge as a part of Project Unigauge?
a) Lumding to Silchar
b) Guwahati to Lumding
c) Silchar to Jiribam
d) Badarpur to Baraigram
View Answer
Explanation: On July 3 1992, the Prime Minister of India, P.V. NarsimhaRao launched the conversion of Guwahati to Lumding rail line. This marked the inauguration of Project Unigauge in India. This line conversion was eventually completed in January 1994.
3. Why did Indian Railways convert all the rail lines to broad gauge instead of standard gauge?
a) Broad gauge lines have less maintenance and operating cost as compared to standard gauge lines
b) Almost 50% of the rail lines in India were of broad gauge in the year 1992
c) Broad gauge gives more stability to the wheels than Standard gauge
d) Broad gauge offers more speed to the train than Standard gauge
View Answer
Explanation: In the year 1992 (when the Project Unigauge started), almost 50% of the Indian rail lines were of broad gauge, 43% of metre gauge and remaining 7% of narrow gauge. Adopting a different gauge apart from these would mean converting all the existing lines. This was economically impossible to achieve. So, broad gauge was chosen which meant converting only metre and narrow gauge.
4. What was the disadvantage of choosing broad gauge for Project Unigauge?
a) Non access to readily available rolling stock and poor technological development
b) Costlier in the long run
c) Poor carrying capacity and handled less traffic
d) Speed of the train was reduced
View Answer
Explanation: As the Standard gauge was the most widely used gauge in the world, most of the technological development was done on it. If India had chosen this gauge, it would have easy access to readily available rolling stock and track. Choosing broad gauge made India design its own locomotives and rolling stock.
5. 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
View Answer
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.
6. 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
View Answer
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.
7. 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
View Answer
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.
8. 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
View Answer
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.
9. The unigauge policy of Indian Railways will help small towns and villages gain better transportation infrastructure.
a) True
b) False
View Answer
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.
10. If a uniform gauge is chosen throughout the country, the transport bottlenecks will ______
a) Increase
b) Decrease
c) Remain same
d) Depends on speed of train
View Answer
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.
Sanfoundry Global Education & Learning Series – Railway Engineering.
To practice all areas of Railway Engineering, here is complete set of 1000+ Multiple Choice Questions and Answers.
If you find a mistake in question / option / answer, kindly take a screenshot and email to [email protected]
- Check Railway Engineering Books
- Apply for Civil Engineering Internship
- Practice Civil Engineering MCQs
- Check Civil Engineering Books
