Northern Railway, the Jewel Set in the Crown of Indian Railways, has embarked on the mission to vanquish distances and create its own metaphor of existence. Formally established in the year 1952, it remains the largest zone in terms of route Kilometers, even after the re-organization of the Indian Railways into 16 zones. Northern Railway now comprises of 5 Divisions-Ambala, Delhi, Ferozpur, Lucknow and Moradabad having slimmed down from 11047.43 Route Kms to 6807.90 Route Kms. At the stroke of the half-hour, the driver of the Falkland opened the engine valves, as his fireman shoveled vigorously. The Falkland breathed heavily, enveloping bystanders in a cloud of steam. The driver reached for the whistle chord, the crowd cheered lustily and the boom of the first volley of a 21 gun salute resounded through the moist heat of the afternoon. A final toot of the whistle, a final snort from Falkland and India's first railway train edged forward, puffing and hissing and groaning through the 35 kilometers to Thana. Almost six years later, on March 3, 1859, the first Railway Line in North India was laid between Allahabad and Kanpur.Administratively, the Indian Railways have been divided into nine zones, each headed by a General Manager and further sub-divided into 56 divisions, each headed by a Divisional Railway Manager. Northern Railway was erstwhile a grand eight-divisional zone- comprising of Allahabad, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Delhi, Moradabad, Ferozpur, Ambala and Lucknow embracing most of North India. With the re-organisation of zones, the Railway is now a vibrant five-star constellation viz. , Delhi, Moradabad, Ferozpur, Ambala and Lucknow.