Railway Protection Force (RPF) is an armed force of the Union under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. The force was established by the RPF Act,1957, enacted by the Indian Parliament for "the better protection and security of railway property and passenger area". It has the power to search, arrest, enquire, and prosecute offenses committed under the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act 1966 and the Railways Act, 1989 (amended from time to time). RPF has also been entrusted with the responsibility of security of railway passenger area and railway passengers since 2004. However the power of arrests under other penal laws rests in the hands of the Government Railway Police (GRP) of each state.

The Ministry of Railways is a ministry in the Government of India, responsible for the country's rail transport. Indian Railways is a statutory body managed by the railway board under the ownership of the ministry that operates the national railway system. The ministry along with the railway board is housed inside Rail Bhawan in New Delhi. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is one of the world's largest employers.