Acronyms and Abbreviations - I
On this page- Locomotive and coach manufacturers
- Organizations and corporations
- Trains
- Railways (current and former)
- Technical abbreviations
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.
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) |
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 :-) ) |
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 |
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 |
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.