Explain any three factors that affect the distribution of railways in India.

1. 1 · Open in one line. India's railway network is uneven; a few factors decide where lines are dense.
2. 2 · Relief. Lines are easy and cheap to build on flat land, so the Ganga plain of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal has a dense network. Hills, deserts, marshes and forests have few lines.
3. 3 · Farming, mining and industry. Food bowl states like Punjab and Haryana, mineral states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, and industrial states like Maharashtra and Gujarat have more lines.
4. 4 · Population and cities. Crowded regions and big cities need quick movement of people, so they are well served.
5. 5 · Real life. That is why a train trip in Sikkim or Arunachal Pradesh is hard, while the plains have many routes.
6. 6 · Close in one line. The government now gives priority to linking remote areas.

Scoring tip: Name the factor first (relief, economy, population), then give a state as an example.