Question

Arrange the following Railway Zones of India from North to South based on the location of their respective headquarters:

• South Central Railway
• Northern Railway
• Southern Railway
• Western Railway

Which of the following options is correct?

• A. 2 - 4 - 1 - 3
• B. 2 - 1 - 4 - 3
• C. 4 - 2 - 1 - 3
• D. 2 - 4 - 3 - 1

Hint:

Remember the headquarters:

• Northern Railway $\rightarrow$ New Delhi
• Western Railway $\rightarrow$ Mumbai
• South Central Railway $\rightarrow$ Secunderabad
• Southern Railway $\rightarrow$ Chennai

Arrange them geographically from north to south.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Indian Railways is divided into several administrative zones, each with its own headquarters.
To arrange them from North to South, we must first identify the city that serves as the headquarters for each zone and then look at the geographical latitude of these cities.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's identify the headquarters of the listed zones:
1. Northern Railway (2): The headquarters is in New Delhi.
New Delhi is the northernmost city in this list (approx. latitude \(28.6^{\circ}N\)). Thus, 2 comes first.
2. Western Railway (4): The headquarters is in Mumbai (Churchgate).
Mumbai is located in the western part of the peninsula (approx. latitude \(19.0^{\circ}N\)). It is south of Delhi but north of the other two. Thus, 4 comes second.
3. South Central Railway (1): The headquarters is in Secunderabad (Telangana).
Secunderabad is located at approx. \(17.4^{\circ}N\). It is geographically south of Mumbai. Thus, 1 comes third.
4. Southern Railway (3): The headquarters is in Chennai.
Chennai is located in South India at approx. \(13.0^{\circ}N\). It is the southernmost city among the four. Thus, 3 comes last.
The sequence from North to South is: New Delhi (2) $\rightarrow$ Mumbai (4) $\rightarrow$ Secunderabad (1) $\rightarrow$ Chennai (3).
This matches the sequence 2-4-1-3.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct North-to-South arrangement of headquarters is 2-4-1-3.
The correct option is (A).