SBI PO Trains — Study Material, 13 PYQs & Practice MCQs | ZestExam
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SBI PO Trains
Study Material — 13 PYQs (2022–2022) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SBI PO Trains is a frequently tested subtopic — 13 previous year questions from 2022–2022 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
Train P and Train Q are moving in the same direction on parallel tracks. Train P travels at 80 km/h and Train Q travels at 50 km/h. If Train P is initially 90 km behind Train Q, how many hours will it take for Train P to catch up with Train Q?
Exam Q 42022Previous Year Pattern
A train 150 metres long is moving at 60 km/h. How long will it take to completely pass a stationary platform of length 250 metres?
Exam Q 52022Previous Year Pattern
Two trains are moving towards each other on parallel tracks. Train X travels at 50 km/h and Train Y travels at 40 km/h. If they are initially 270 km apart, in how many hours will they meet?
Exam Q 62022Previous Year Pattern
A train moving at 72 km/h needs to cover 360 km. If it stops for 30 minutes during the journey, what is the total time taken (including the stop)?
Exam Q 72022Previous Year Pattern
Two trains start from the same station at the same time. Train A travels towards the north at 80 km/h, and Train B travels towards the south at 100 km/h. After how many hours will they be 540 km apart?
Exam Q 82022Previous Year Pattern
A train travels 240 km in 4 hours. If the train increases its speed by 20%, how much distance will it cover in 5 hours at the new speed?
Exam Q 92022Previous Year Pattern
Train X and Train Y are moving in the same direction on parallel tracks. Train X (length 100 m) travels at 72 km/h, and Train Y (length 80 m) travels at 54 km/h. How long will Train X take to completely overtake Train Y?
Exam Q 102022Previous Year Pattern
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?
Exam Q 112022Previous Year Pattern
Train X and Train Y start from the same station at the same time, traveling in the same direction. Train X travels at 72 km/h while Train Y travels at 54 km/h. After 5 hours, Train X reduces its speed to 48 km/h. How much time (in hours) will it take for Train Y to catch up with Train X from the moment Train X reduces its speed?
Exam Q 122022Previous Year Pattern
Two trains of lengths 150 m and 200 m are running on parallel tracks in opposite directions. The faster train crosses the slower train completely in 10 seconds. If the speed of the slower train is 36 km/h, find the speed of the faster train in m/s.
Exam Q 132022Previous Year Pattern
Two trains start from opposite ends of a 720 km track simultaneously. Train A travels at 80 km/h and Train B at 100 km/h. A bird starts flying from Train A towards Train B at 120 km/h at the same time. When the bird meets Train B, it immediately turns back and flies towards Train A. This process continues until the trains meet. What is the total distance traveled by the bird?
Concept Notes
Trains— Rules & Concept
Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
Core Concept
Train problems involve calculating time taken by trains to cross objects like poles, platforms, bridges, or other trains. The key is understanding that trains have length, unlike point objects
Key Rules
When a train crosses a stationary object like a pole, it travels a distance equal to its own length. When crossing a platform or bridge, it travels its own length plus the length of the platform/bridge. For two trains, use relative speed concept.
Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
Time = Distance/Speed
Speed = Distance/Time
Relative Speed (same direction) = |S1 - S2|
Relative Speed (opposite direction) = S1 + S2
Speed conversion: km/hr to m/s multiply by 5/18, m/s to km/hr multiply by 18/5
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
SSC CGL typically asks 1-2 train problems per paper. Common question types include trains crossing poles, platforms, bridges, and other trains. Questions often involve unit conversions and relative motion.
ShortcutsUse these to save 30–60 seconds per question
- The 5/18 Rule: To convert km/hr to m/s, multiply by 5/18. To convert m/s to km/hr, multiply by 18/5. Remember: 72 km/hr = 20 m/s (this conversion appears frequently).
Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1
Distance covered = Length of train = 120m
2
Step 2
Time taken = 8 seconds
3
Step 3
Speed = Distance/Time = 120/8 = 15 m/s
4
Step 4
Convert to km/hr = 15 × 18/5 = 54 km/hr
Answer: 54 km/hr
Worked Example 2: Two trains of lengths 100m and 150m are running in opposite directions at speeds 40 km/hr and 50 km/hr respectively. In how much time will they cross each other?
Relative speed = 100/9 + 125/9 = 225/9 = 25 m/s (opposite direction, so add)
3
Step 3
Total distance = 100 + 150 = 250m
4
Step 4
Time = Distance/Speed = 250/25 = 10 seconds
Answer: 10 seconds
Advanced Shortcut - Platform Formula: Time to cross platform = (Train length + Platform length)/Speed. This direct formula saves calculation steps in exams.
Most Common Trap: Students forget to add platform/bridge length when train crosses them. They only consider train length, leading to wrong answers. Always read whether the train crosses a pole (only train length) or platform/bridge (train length + platform/bridge length).
Another frequent mistake is wrong unit conversion. Practice the 5/18 conversion thoroughly. Many students confuse when to multiply or divide.
Speed-Distance-Time Shortcut: If train crosses pole in time T1 and platform in time T2, then platform length = speed × (T2 - T1). This eliminates the need to calculate train length first.