Acronyms and Abbreviations - I

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Acronyms and Abbreviations

Q. What does “NRM” stand for? “CLW”? Etc. etc.

Note: Station codes can be found in the section on railway stations. Below are lists of the most common IR-related acronyms.

Loco, coach, and wagon manufacturers whose products have been used in India
Term Expansion
ABB ASEA Brown-Boveri, Switzerland
ALCO American Locomotive Co., Schenectady, NY, USA
BBUNL Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam, Ltd.
BEML Bharat Earth Movers Limited
BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
BLW Benaras Loco Works (also Baldwin Locomotive Works, USA)
BP Beyer Peacock, Manchester
BSCL Burn Standard Co., Ltd.
BTH British Thomson Houston
BWEL Bharat Wagon and Engineering Co., Ltd.
CLW Chittaranjan Loco Works (also Canadian Locomotive Works (now Bombardier))
DLW Diesel Loco Works, Varanasi
EBW E. B. Wilson
EE English Electric
EMD General Motors' Electro-Motive Division, USA
GEC General Electric Corporation, UK
GM General Motors, USA
GMD General Motors Diesel, Canada
HL Hawthorn-Leslie, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
ICF Integral Coach Factory, Perambur
ISW Indian Standard Wagon Works, Satna
KS Kerr Stuart, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
LHB Linke Hoffman Busch GmbH, Germany
MLW Montreal Locomotive Works
MV Metropolitan Vickers
NBL North British Locomotive Co., Glasgow
NW Nasmyth Wilson, Manchester
O&K Orenstein & Koppel, Berlin
RCF Railway Coach Factory, Kapurthala
RS Robert Stephenson, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
SFAC Societe des Forges et Ateliers, Creusot
SIG Schweirische Industrie Gesselschaft
SLM Schweizerische Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik, Winterthur, Switz.
TELCO Tata Engineering and Locomotive Co.
USATC US Army Transportation Corps., USA
WB William G. Bagnall, Stafford, UK
WIL Wagon India Ltd. (an intermediary firm for wagon contracts)
Organizations & corporations
Term Expansion
AIRF All-India Railwaymen's Federation (union organization)
BMRTC Bangalore Metropolitan Rail Transit Corporation, Ltd.
BPT Bombay Port Trust (later MPT)
CMC Computer Maintenance Corporation, also Calcutta Metro Corporation
COFMOW Central Organization for the Modernization of Workshops
CONCOR Container Corporation of India
COOIS Central Organization for Operations Information Systems
CORE Central Organization for Railway Electrification
COS Central Office of Standards (predecessor of RDSO)
CRIS Centre for Railway Information Systems
CTC Calcutta Tramways Corporation
DCW Diesel Component Works, Patiala
DMRC Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
ELRTS Elevated Light Rail Transit System (proposed, Bangalore)
FNRM Friends of the National Rail Museum
FROA Federation of Officer's Associations (umbrella organization for railway officers' groups)
IPWE Institution of Permanent Way Engineers
IRAS Indian Railway Accounts Services (financial management)
IRC Indian Railways Corporation (proposed)
IRCA Indian Railway Conference Association (body that issues inspection guidelines, allots wagon codes, inspects workshops)
IRCON Indian Railways Construction Company, now IRCON International Ltd., which takes on contract work to build railways in other countries (Iraq, Nepal, Indonesia...).
IRCOT Indian Railways Central Organization for Telecom
IRCTC Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation
IREB Indian Railways Executive Board (proposed)
IRFC Indian Railways Finance Corporation
IRIATT Indian Railways Institute of Advanced Track Technology
IRICEN Indian Railways Institute of Civil Engineering, Pune
IRIEEN Indian Railways Institute of Electrical Engineering, Nasik
IRIMEE Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jamalpur
IRISET Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications, Secunderabad
IRMS Indian Railway Medical Services
IRPHA Indian Railway Public Health Association
IRPS indian Railway Personnel Services (human resources)
IRRA Indian Railways Regulatory Authority (proposed)
IRSE Indian Railway Service of Engineers
IRSEE Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers
IRSME Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers
IRSS Indian Railway Stores Services (inventory control)
IRSSE Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers
IRSTE Indian Railway Signal and Telecom Engineering
IRTS Indian Railway Traffic Services (management, marketing)
ISRS Indian Steam Railway Society
ITB International Tourist Bureau (New Delhi)
KRCL Konkan Railway Corporation, Ltd.
KRDC Konkan Railway Development Corporation
K-RIDE Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (Karnataka) Ltd.
KRIST Konkan Railway Institute for Staff Training
KMRT Kolkata Mass Rapid Transit
LRDSS Long Range Decision Support System
LRTS Light Rail Transit System (proposed, Kolkata)
MPT Mumbai Port Trust (see BPT)
MRSP Model Railway Society of Pune
MRTS Mass Rapid Transit System (Chennai)
MRVC Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation
MTP Metropolitan Transport Project (Railways), Bombay
MUTP Mumbai Urban Transport Project (a World Bank project)
NAIR National Academy of Indian Railways, formerly Railway Staff College
NFIR National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (union organization)
NRM National Rail Museum, New Delhi
PRCL Pipavav Railway Corporation Ltd.
NRMU National Railway Mazdoor Union (railway employees' trade union)
RB Railway Board
RBSS Railway Board Secretariat Services (part of Railway Ministry)
RCIL Railtel Corporation of India, Ltd.
RDSO Research, Design and Standards Organization
ROMA Railway Officers' Medical Association
RPF Railway Protection Force (also see below, Miscellaneous)
RITES Rail India Technical and Economic Services, which takes on planning, design, and operational work in other countries (Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mexico, Zambia, Nepal, etc.).
RTRC Railway Testing and Research Centre (a predecessor of RDSO)
RWWCO Railway Women's Welfare Central Organization
RVNL Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd.
SGE Siemens and General Electric Railway Signal Co., Ltd.
WAP Wheel and Axle Plant, Yelahanka (also a loco classification :-) )
Trains
Term Expansion
AP Andhra Pradesh Express
DQ The Deccan Queen
GT Grand Trunk Express
JJ Jayanti Janata Express
KK Karnataka-Kerala Express
TN Tamil Nadu Express
POW Palace on Wheels
Railways (former and current)
Term Expansion
ADCR Agra-Delhi Chord Railway
BAR Bengal Assam Railway (in 1947, renamed East Bengal Rly., and in 1961, renamed Pakistan Eastern Rly.)
BB&CI / BB&CIR (BBCIR) Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway
BCR Bengal Central Railway
BDR Bengal Dooars Railway, also Bankura Damodar Railway
BESR Bilaspur - Etawah State Railway
BLR Barsi Light Railway
BMR Burma Mines Railway
BNR Bengal Nagpur Railway
BNWR Bengal North-Western Railway
BPR Bengal Provincial Railway
BR Burma Railway
BRC Burma Railways Corporation
CBR Cooch Behar Railway
CGR Ceylon Government Railway
CR Central Railway
CSER Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway
DHR Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
DMSR Dhond-Manmad State Railway (Dhond = Daund)
DRLR Dehri Rohtas Light Railway
DSR Drangdhara State Railway
EBR East Bengal State Railway
ECR East Coast Railway
EIR East Indian Railway
EPR Eastern Punjab Railway
ER Eastern Railway
GBSR Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway
GIPR Great Indian Peninsular Railway
GLR Gwalior Light Railway (later Scindia State Railway)
GSR Gondal State Railway
GSIR Great Southern of India Railway
IGR Indian Government Railways
IMR Indian Midland Railway
IR Indian Railways
ISR Indian State Railway
IVSR Indus Valley State Railway
JDR Jamnagar and Dwarka Railway
JR Jodhpur Railway
JSR Jaipur State Railway
KHR Khanai-Hindubagh Railway
KKTR Kushalgarh-Kohat-Thal Railway
KR Konkan Railway
KSR Kalka Simla Railway
KVR Kangra Valley Railway
LJR Larkana-Jacobabad Railway
MLR Matheran Light Railway
MR Madras Railway
MSMR Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
MSR Mysore State Railway
NER North-eastern Railway
NEFR, NFR North-East Frontier Railway
NMR Nilgiri Mountain Railway
NR Northern Railway
NGSR Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway
NSR Nizam's State Railway
NWR North Western Railway (in 1961, renamed Pakistan Western Rly.)
O&RR, ORR Oudh and Rohilkhund Railway
OTR Oudh and Tirhut Railway
PDB Piplod Devgad Baria Railway
PLR Parlakimedi Light Railway
PNSR Punjab Northern State Railway
PR Pakistan Railways
PSMT Patiala State Monorail Trainways
RDR Raipur Dhamtari Railway
RKR Rohilkhund Kumaon Railway
RMR Rajputana Malwa Railway
SCR South-central Railway
SER South-eastern Railway
SLR Sri Lanka Railways
SIR South Indian Railway
SMR Southern Mahratta Railway
SPDR Scinde, Punjab, and Delhi Railway
SR Southern Railway
SSLR Shahdara Saharanpur Light Railway
SSR Scindia State Railway, also Sangli State Railway
TBLR Tezpore-Balipara Light Railway
WCSR Wardha Coal State Railway
WIPR West of India Portuguese Railway
WR Western Railway
Technical acronyms (loosely defined)
Term Expansion
ABS Automatic Block Signalling
ACD Anti-Collision Device
ADAM ARTS Data Manager (system for managing EPROMs and station configuration cartridges for ARTS)
AE Automatic Emergency or Auto-Emergency (type of brake system)
AFTC Audio Frequency Track Circuiting
ATC Automated Train Control
ATP Automatic Train Protection
ATS Automatic Train Stop
AVB Automatic Vacuum Brake
ATS Automatic Train Stop
BPC Brake Power Certificate (issued before train departure)
BS Braking in Series configuration
BSL Block Section Limit
BSP Braking in Series-Parallel configuration
CDO Coaching Depot
CLS Colour-light signalling
COCR Confirmatory Oscillograph Car Run
COFC Container on flat car
CTC Centralised Traffic Control
CTR Complete Track Renewal
CWR Continuous Welded Rail (0.5km and longer sections of welded rail)
DAC Digital Axle Counter
DBFO Design-Build-Finance-Operate (a scheme for private parties to build and run railway lines with IR's help)
DJ From the French disjoncteur, the main circuit breaker of an electric loco (usually pneumatically operated, roof-mounted)
DLBI Double Line Block Instrument
DEMU Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit
DETC Diesel-Electric Tower Car
DHMU Diesel Hydraulic Multiple Unit (hydraulic transmission DMU)
DMH Dead Man's Handle (on EMUs)
DMU Diesel Multiple Unit
DPC Driving Power Car
DS Disconnecting Switch (to switch off OHE power to loco circuits, usually manual)
DSC Dual-Stacked Container service (or Double-Stacked Container)
DTC Driving Trailer Car (unpowered driving car in EMU rake)
DW Double wire (of semaphore signals)
EA Extra (time) Allowed (make-up time noted in working time-tables)
ELCM Electronic Load Control Module (governor for DEMUs and other diesels).
EMU Electric Multiple Unit
EOG End-On Generator Car
ETCS European Train Control System
EY Empty (notation for empty rake in real-time train information systems)
FEDL Fully Electrified Double Line
FM Fouling Mark
FMVFT Frequency-modulated Voice-frequency Telegraph (used for control communications by signals / electric traction / traffic control staff)
FOR Forward motion (position of master controller in loco)
FP Fouling Point; also Feed Pipe (at couplings of vehicles)
GTO Gate Turn-Off thyristor
HEP Head-end Power (power from the loco for the coaches)
HFTC High-Frequency Track Circuit
HOBC High-Output Ballast Cleaner
HOG Head-On Generator
HHPDMU High-Horsepower Diesel Electric Multiple Unit
HPDMU High-powered Diesel Multiple Unit
HSCB High-speed Circuit Breaker
HT High Tension
HTCBC High Tensile-strength Centre-Buffer Coupler
HTS High Tensile-strength Steel
IGBT Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor
JRI Junction Route Indicator
LOB Lube Oil Balance
LTPDS Live Train Position Display System
LVC Last Vehicle Check (automated detection of rake integrity)
LWR Long Welded Rail (5-15 rails welded together in a section)
MACL, MACLS Multiple-Aspect Colour-Light signalling
MCB Master Circuit Breaker (in locos)
MCI Malleable Cast Iron
MEMU Main-line Electric Multiple Unit
MLRI Multi-Lamp Route Indicator
MNI Modified Non-Interlocked (in working timetables)
MOG Mid-On Generator Car
MOT Motoring (position of master controller in loco)
NBT Neale's Ball Token
NI Non-Interlocked (in working timetables)
NTES National Train Enquiry System
NX eNtrance-eXit (interlocking panels)
OCV Other Coaching Vehicle - non-passenger coaches, e.g., pantry cars.
OFC Optical Fibre Cable
OHE Overhead Equipment (or foreman for same)
OMS Oscillation Monitoring System
PCS Pneumatic Control System (loco shut-off/idling control which takes effect on application of emergency brakes)
PCV Passenger Carrying Vehicle (regular passenger coaches, as distinct from OCV - restaurant cars, mail cars, etc.)
PI Panel Interlocking
POET Passenger Operated Enquiry Terminal
RCC Remote Control Centre (for electric traction) Also, Reinforced Cement Concrete (Also see below in Miscellaneous)
REV Reverse motion (position of master controller in loco), Reverser
ROSHAN Rolling Stock Health Analyst (accelerometers and other equipment that monitor coach movement and report deviations from normal behaviour).
RPC Resistance Power Control (or Compartment) (in EMU power cars)
SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (monitoring and control system for remote control of electric traction systems)
SE Superelevation (of curved track)
S/L Shunting Limit
SLBI Single Line Block Instrument
SOD Schedule of Dimensions
SPAD Signal Passed At Danger
SPTM Self-Printing Ticket Machine
SSDAC Solid State Digital Axle Counter
SSI Solid State Interlocking
STR Schedule of Technical Requirements
STRI Stencil type Route Indicator
SW Single wire (of semaphore signals)
SWR Short Welded Rail (2-4 rails welded together in a section)
Also: Station Working Rules
TAB Train Air Brake
TALQ Two-Aspect Lower Quadrant
TAWD Train Actuated Warning Device
TBTR Through Bridge Timber Renewal
TFR Through Fitting Renewal
TLC Traction Locomotive Controller
TM Traction Motor
TMS Train Management System (train monitoring used in Bombay suburban sections)
TOFC Trailer on flat car
T/out Turnout
TPC Traction Power Controller
TRC Track Recording Car
TRO Traction Rolling-stock Operations
TRR Through Rail Renewal
TRT Traffic Recovery Time (a kind of make-up time allotment in working timetable)
TSS Traction Sub-Station
TSR Through Sleeper Renewal
TTR Through Turnout Renewal
TWR Through Weld Renewal
UPF Unity Power Factor
USFD Ultrasonic Flaw Detection
VCC Vacuum Continuity Certificate (issued before train departure)
VCB Vacuum Circuit Breaker
VRP Voltage Regulating Panel
WF Weak Field
WILD Wheel Impact Load Detector
WSR Wheel Slip Relay

More acronyms and abberviations in the next page.