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SSC CGL Trains

Study Material — 8 PYQs (2018–2020) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts

SSC CGL Trains is a frequently tested subtopic — 8 previous year questions from 2018–2020 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.

8 PYQs
2018–2020
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Previous Year Questions

SSC CGL Trains — Past Exam Questions

8 questions from actual SSC CGL papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution

Exam Q 12018Previous Year Pattern

A train travels a distance of 360 km in 4 hours. What is the speed of the train in metres per second?

Exam Q 22019Previous Year Pattern

Train A of length 150 m crosses a stationary platform in 15 seconds. What is the speed of Train A in km/h?

Exam Q 32020Previous Year Pattern

Train A of length 150 m crosses a stationary platform in 15 seconds. What is the speed of Train A in km/h?

Exam Q 42020Previous Year Pattern

Train A and Train B start simultaneously from stations P and Q respectively, which are 480 km apart. Train A travels towards Q at 60 km/h, while Train B travels towards P at 40 km/h. After how many hours will the two trains meet, and at what distance from station P will they meet?

Exam Q 52019Previous Year Pattern

Two trains, A and B, start simultaneously from stations X and Y respectively, which are 480 km apart. Train A travels towards Y at 60 km/h, while train B travels towards X at 40 km/h. After how many hours will they meet, and at what distance from station X?

Exam Q 62018Previous Year Pattern

Train A and Train B start simultaneously from opposite ends of a 360 km track. Train A travels at 80 km/h and Train B travels at 100 km/h. After how many hours will they meet each other?

Exam Q 72019Previous Year Pattern

Two trains, A and B, start simultaneously from stations X and Y respectively, which are 480 km apart. Train A travels towards Y at 60 km/h, while train B travels towards X at 40 km/h. After they meet, train A takes 6 hours to reach Y, while train B takes 10 hours to reach X. If both trains had started 2 hours later, by what time (in hours after the original start time) would they meet?

Exam Q 82018Previous Year Pattern

Two trains A and B start simultaneously from stations P and Q respectively towards each other. The distance between P and Q is 560 km. Train A travels at 80 km/h and Train B travels at 60 km/h. After how many hours will they meet, and how far from station P will the meeting point be?

Concept Notes

Trains— Rules & Concept

Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
Think of it this way

when a train crosses a pole, it must travel a distance equal to its own length. When it crosses a platform, it must travel its own length PLUS the platform length. Simple as that. ── KEY RULES / PROPERTIES ── Rule 1: Speed, Distance, Time are always connected by one formula

Rule 2

Always convert speed to metres per second (m/s) when distance is in metres

Rule 3

When two trains move, their relative speed decides how fast they approach or separate

Rule 4

Total distance = sum of lengths of all objects involved. ──

Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper

──

Basic Formula:

Speed = Distance / Time | Distance = Speed x Time | Time = Distance / Speed

Unit Conversion:

km/h to m/s → multiply by 5/18
m/s to km/h → multiply by 18/5

Crossing a Pole or a Person (stationary):

Time = Length of Train / Speed of Train

Crossing a Platform or Bridge:

Time = (Length of Train + Length of Platform) / Speed of Train

Two Trains — Same Direction (one overtaking the other):

Relative Speed = Speed of Faster Train − Speed of Slower Train
Time = (Length of Train 1 + Length of Train 2) / Relative Speed

Two Trains — Opposite Direction (coming towards each other):

Relative Speed = Speed of Train 1 + Speed of Train 2
Time = (Length of Train 1 + Length of Train 2) / Relative Speed

Train passing a moving person:

If person moves in same direction as train → Relative Speed = Train Speed − Person Speed
If person moves opposite to train → Relative Speed = Train Speed + Person Speed

──

Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
Example

72 km/h = 72 x 5/18 = 20 m/s. This avoids unit errors

Trick 2 — Opposite vs Same Direction Memory Rule

Opposite = ADD speeds (they close gap faster). Same = SUBTRACT speeds (gap closes slowly).

Memory HookRemember this — never confuse the two again

Opposite = O = Open arms = ADD. Trick 3 — Length of Train Formula Rearranged: If a train crosses a pole in T1 seconds and a platform of length L in T2 seconds: Length of Train = L x T1 / (T2 − T1) This directly gives the train length without finding speed first. ──

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

Convert speed → 54 x 5/18 = 15 m/s

2
Step 2

Total distance = Length of train + Length of platform = 150 + 250 = 400 m

3
Step 3

Time = Distance / Speed = 400 / 15 = 26.67 seconds ≈ 26⅔ seconds Answer: 26⅔ seconds ── WORKED EXAMPLE 2 ── Question: Two trains of length 120 m and 180 m run in opposite directions at 60 km/h and 48 km/h. Find the time to cross each other.

1
Step 1

Relative speed (opposite) = 60 + 48 = 108 km/h

2
Step 2

Convert → 108 x 5/18 = 30 m/s

3
Step 3

Total length = 120 + 180 = 300 m

4
Step 4

Time = 300 / 30 = 10 seconds Answer: 10 seconds ──

Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these

— #1 TRAP ── Students forget to add the train's own length to the platform or bridge length. They only use the platform length as the distance. This gives a completely wrong answer.

ALWAYS ask: what is the TOTAL distance the engine must travel from when it enters to when the last coach exits? That total = train length + platform length. Never skip the train length.

Key Points to Remember

  • Total distance for crossing = Length of Train + Length of Platform (never forget train's own length)
  • Crossing a pole or standing person → Distance = only the length of the train
  • Convert km/h to m/s by multiplying by 5/18 before using metre-based distances
  • Convert m/s to km/h by multiplying by 18/5
  • Opposite direction → Relative Speed = Sum of both speeds
  • Same direction → Relative Speed = Difference of both speeds
  • Formula: Time = (L1 + L2) / Relative Speed for two trains crossing each other
  • Train length shortcut: if pole time = T1, platform time = T2, platform length = L → Train Length = L x T1 / (T2 − T1)
  • A train passing a moving man uses relative speed — same rule as two trains
  • Speed = Distance / Time is the master formula; rearrange as needed for any unknown

Exam-Specific Tips

  • To convert km/h to m/s, multiply by 5/18 (not 18/5 — reversing this is a top exam trap)
  • When two trains cross each other in opposite directions, relative speed = sum of their individual speeds
  • When two trains move in the same direction, relative speed = difference of their speeds
  • A train crossing a pole: only the train's own length is the distance, platform length is zero
  • A 72 km/h train speed is exactly equal to 20 m/s (standard benchmark: 72 x 5/18 = 20)
  • A 54 km/h train speed equals 15 m/s — second most commonly used benchmark in SSC problems
  • If a train crosses a bridge in T seconds at speed S m/s, then: Length of Train + Length of Bridge = S x T
Practice MCQs

Trains — Practice Questions

40graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis · showing 20 of 40

All MCQs →
Practice 1easy

Train A crosses a platform of length 150 m in 20 seconds. If the train's length is 250 m, what is the speed of Train A?

Practice 2easy

Two trains are moving towards each other on parallel tracks. Train X has a speed of 60 km/h and Train Y has a speed of 40 km/h. What is their relative speed?

Practice 3easy

Train A and Train B start from the same station at the same time. Train A travels at 72 km/h and Train B travels at 54 km/h in the same direction. After how much time will Train A be 9 km ahead of Train B?

Practice 4easy

A train 200 m long crosses a pole in 10 seconds. How long will it take to cross a bridge of length 300 m?

Practice 5easy

Train A is 150 m long and travels at 45 km/h. How long will it take to completely cross a platform that is 250 m long?

Practice 6easy

A train 200 m long passes a stationary pole in 10 seconds. How long will it take to pass another train of length 300 m that is stationary on an adjacent track?

Practice 7easy

Two trains start from the same station at the same time, moving in opposite directions. Train P travels at 72 km/h and Train Q travels at 48 km/h. After how many hours will they be 360 km apart?

Practice 8easy

A train is 300 metres long and is running at a speed of 90 km/h. How much time (in seconds) will it take to cross a pole?

Practice 9easy

Two trains are moving towards each other on parallel tracks. Train X has a speed of 60 km/h and Train Y has a speed of 40 km/h. If they are 500 km apart, in how many hours will they meet?

Practice 10easy

A train 180 metres long is running at 45 km/h. How long will it take to pass a platform that is 270 metres long?

Practice 11easy

A train of length 180 m passes a stationary pole in 9 seconds. How long will it take to pass another train of length 120 m moving in the same direction at 10 m/s?

Practice 12easy

Two trains are moving towards each other on parallel tracks. Train P travels at 45 km/h and Train Q travels at 55 km/h. If they are initially 400 km apart, in how many hours will they meet?

Practice 13easy

Two trains are moving towards each other on parallel tracks. Train X travels at 60 km/h and Train Y travels at 40 km/h. If they are 500 km apart, in how many hours will they meet?

Practice 14medium

Train P and Train Q are running on parallel tracks. Train P (length 120 m) is running at 72 km/h, and Train Q (length 80 m) is running at 54 km/h in the same direction. How much time will Train P take to completely overtake Train Q?

Practice 15medium

A train 200 m long takes 20 seconds to pass a man standing on the platform. The same train takes 50 seconds to completely cross a bridge. What is the length of the bridge?

Practice 16medium

Two trains start simultaneously from stations X and Y, which are 360 km apart. Train P travels from X to Y at 60 km/h, and Train Q travels from Y to X at 90 km/h. At what distance from station X will they meet?

Practice 17medium

Two trains start simultaneously from stations P and Q, which are 360 km apart. Train X travels from P to Q at 60 km/h, and Train Y travels from Q to P at 90 km/h. At what distance from station P will the two trains meet?

Practice 18medium

Two trains start simultaneously from stations A and B, which are 360 km apart. Train X travels from A to B at 60 km/h, and Train Y travels from B to A at 40 km/h. At what distance from station A will the two trains meet?

Practice 19medium

A train crosses a bridge of length 500 m in 60 seconds while running at a constant speed. The same train crosses a tunnel of length 300 m in 40 seconds. What is the length of the train?

Practice 20medium

Two trains start from the same station at the same time. Train A travels towards the north at 50 km/h, and Train B travels towards the south at 70 km/h. After how many hours will they be 360 km apart?

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60-Second Revision — Trains

  • Formula: Time = Total Distance / Speed — Total Distance always includes the train's own length
  • Convert: km/h → m/s = multiply by 5/18 | m/s → km/h = multiply by 18/5
  • Opposite directions → ADD speeds | Same direction → SUBTRACT speeds
  • Trap: Never use only platform length as distance — always ADD the train's length to get total distance
  • Crossing a pole = train length only | Crossing platform/bridge = train length + platform/bridge length
  • Two trains crossing: Time = (L1 + L2) / Relative Speed — works for both same and opposite direction
  • Quick trick: Train length = Platform Length x T1 / (T2 − T1), where T1 = pole time, T2 = platform time
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