The country’s first transport museum, the National Rail Museum, offers a comprehensive archive of India’s railway history. The foundation stone was laid on October 7, 1971, by then President of India V. V. Giri, and it opened to the public on February 1, 1977, as the Rail Transport Museum. It was later renamed as the National Rail Museum in October 1995.
The museum, which sprawls over 11 acres, is themed after a railway yard. Its outdoor gallery displays an enormous variety of original life-size exhibits, including steam, diesel, and electric locomotives, royal saloons, wagons, armored trains, and rail cars. Inside, you can see interactive exhibits, models, old photographs, documents, and railway artifacts that tell the story of Indian Railways from its inception to its future ambitions. With nearly five lakh visitors every year, the museum shows how railway investment has been a key contributor to unifying and developing India as a nation.