Rail transport is commonly used mode of long-distance
Transport in India. Almost all rail operations in India are handled by
Indian Railways, a state-owned organization of the
Ministry of Railways. The rail network traverses the length and breadth of the country, covering in 2011 a total length of . It is the largest railway network in the world, transporting 7.651 billion passengers and over 921 million tonnes of
freight annually, as of 2011. Its operations cover
twenty eight states and three union territories and also provides limited service to Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Both passenger and freight traffic has seen steady growth, and as per the 2009
Railway budget presented by the Railway Minister, the Indian Railways carried over 7 billion passengers in 2009.