Transport in India

1. Importance of Transport In India

Transportation is the movement of people and good from one location to another. Throughout history, the economic wealth and military power of people or a nation have been closely tied to efficient methods of transportation. India is a huge country with a vast population. Therefore, transportation plays an important in India than in any other country. It allows the government to maintain rigid administration throughout the country. Transportation provides access to natural resources and promotes trade, allowing India to accumulate wealth and power. Transportation also allows free movement of soldiers, equipment, and supplies so that India can wage war. Transport systems and the routes they use have greatly influenced both how and where people live. Reliable transportation allows a population to expand throughout Indias territory and to live comfortably in remote areas far from factories and farms. Transportation is vital to Indias economy. It earns a lot of foreign exchange for the country. The transportation industry is the largest in the world. It includes the manufacture and distribution of vehicles, the production and distribution of fuel and the provision of transportation services. So let us look at the transport system in India.

2. The Major Means of Transport in India

Roadways
The thread that binds the nation together. This is truly a deserving metaphor for a road network that is one of the largest in the world. Its grand system of national highways, state highways and the roads that run endlessly within cities. Even the little by lanes which is most metros has become parking space! The statistics are impressive: about 34,608 km of national highways, 128,622 of state highways, and an informal network of about 2,737,080km, the total exceeding 3.01 million kilometers.

Railways
Railways were first introduced by Lord Dalhousie, the British Viceroy of India in 1852. The first locomotive in India could be seen shunting in Bombay as early as 1852, less than three decades after the worlds first locomotive had made a successful run. On April 16, 1853, 14 carriages carrying 400 guests trundled out for Thane to the accompaniment of the Governors band, amidst the applause of the vast multitude and to the salute of the 21 guns Indian Railways has been categorized region wise into Northern Railways, Eastern Railways, Southern Railways and Western Railways and so on. The railways provide one

of the cheapest mode of travel, as well as some of the most expensive and luxurious trains in the world. So you can traverse the length and breadth of the country at minimal or you can enjoy a smooth, fast, almost non-stop journey in comfortable chair cars or sleepers. Some of the comfortable express trains are the Rajdhanis and the Shatabdis, which run between major cities. In most of the trains meals are included in the fare. There is unimaginable luxury-at a commensurate price-which such experiences as the Palace of Wheels and the Royal Orient luxury trains provide. Another unusual feature of the Indian railways is the toy trains. These are small trains running on narrow gauge tracks in hilly areas. Toy train services provide access to Darjeeling in the East, Shimla in the North and Matheran near Mumbai, in the Western Ghats.

Airways
Indian Airlines is the national carrier and its network covers a large number of places in the country as well as some of the neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and others. Many private airlines have also comes up, which although having comparatively fleets, give good service and fly to select cities on popular sector. Some of these include Jet Airways, Air Sahara etc.

Waterways
Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are accessible by air from the mainland, while the Sundarbans area in West Bengal in accessible only through narrow creeks and water channels. In such regions, there are regular tourist services. In Kerala the backwaters serve not only as regular means of transport for the local inhabitants, but are now also being offered to tourists as a novel experience 3.

Advantages and Disadvantages of these Means of Transport

Roadways
Advantages

Road transport has the following advantages. (i) It is a relatively cheaper mode of transport as compared to other modes. (ii) Perishable goods can be transported at a faster speed by road carriers over a short Distance. (iii) It is a flexible mode of transport as loading and unloading is possible at any Destination. It provides door-to-door service. (iv) It helps people to travel and carry goods from one place to another, in places Which are not connected by other means of transport like hilly areas.

Disadvantages

(i) Due to limited carrying capacity road transport is not economical for long distance transportation of goods. (ii) Transportation of heavy goods or goods in bulk by road involves high cost.
Transport

(iii) It is affected by adverse weather conditions. Floods, rain, landslide, etc., sometimes create obstructions to road transport.

Railways
Advantages
(i) It is a convenient mode of transport for travelling long distances. (ii) It is relatively faster than road transport. (iii) It is suitable for carrying heavy goods in large quantities over long distances. (iv) Its operation is less affected by adverse weathers conditions like rain, floods, fog, etc.

Disadvantages
(i) It is relatively expensive for carrying goods and passengers over short distances. (ii) It is not available in remote parts of the country. (iii) It provides service according to fixed time schedule and is not flexible for loading or unloading of goods at any place. (iv) It involves heavy losses of life as well as goods in case of accident.

Airways
Advantages
It has the following advantages. (i) It is the fastest mode of transport. (ii) It is very useful in transporting goods and passengers to the area, which are not accessible by any other means. (iii) It is the most convenient mode of transport during natural calamities.
Transport

(iv) It provides vital support to the national security and defence.

Disadvantages
It has the following limitations. (i) It is relatively more expensive mode of transport. (ii) It is not suitable for transporting heavy and bulky goods. (iii) It is affected by adverse weather conditions.

(iv) It is not suitable for short distance travel. (v) In case of accidents, it results in heavy losses of goods, property and life.

Waterways
Advantages
Water Transport has the following advantages: (i) It is a relatively economical mode of transport for bulky and heavy goods. (ii) It is a safe mode of transport with respect to occurrence of accidents. (iii)The cost of maintaining and constructing routes is very low as most of them are naturally made. (iv) It promotes international trade.

Disadvantages
(i) The depth and navigability of rivers and canals vary and thus, affect operations of different transport vessels. (ii) It is a slow moving mode of transport and therefore not suitable for transport of perishable goods. (iii) It is adversely affected by weather conditions. (iv) Sea transport requires large investment on ships and their maintenance. 4.

Maps to Support the Means of Transport

Shown alongside the Major Means of Transport. 5.

Transport Communications with other SAARC Countries

Sri Lanka
1. Sri Lanka is connected to India by ferry (Waterways). 2. Sri Lanka has many international airports linked to cities such as New Delhi, Kolkata and Varanasi.

Nepal
1. By Air: The national flag carrier is the Royal Nepal Airlines. Capital Kathmandu is linked by air services to cities such as New Delhi, Kolkata

and Varanasi. Major International Airlines that operate scheduled air services to Nepal are mentioned below. 2. By Road: There are several entry points by road route. Among road transportation entry points, Birganj, Belahia and Kakarvita are entry points at Indo-Nepal border, while Kodari entry point is at Tibet (China)-Nepal border. Birganj is the most common place for entry of tourists travelling overland. 3. Railways: Nepal has railway connections with its neighbouring country, India. Two short stretches of railway are Raxaul (India) to Amlekhganj (Nepal) as well as Raxaul (India) to Janakpur (Nepal). Capital Kathmandu has no railway connectivity.

Bangladesh
The following Transport Communication link India with Bangladesh: 1. Railways 2. Airways: Bangladesh has an International Airport at Dhaka which link it to Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. 3. Ferry

Bhutan
1. Airways: Bhutan has its International Airport at Thimpu which link it to Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. 2. Even roadways link Bhutan to India. It is linked to India via Sikkim.

Maldives
1. Airways: It has an International Airport at Male which link it to Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. 2. Waterways: It can be accessed via ships.

Pakistan
1. Airways: Pakistan has a number of International Airports situated at Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad which link it to Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. 2. Railways: It is linked via Samjhauta Express commonly called the Friendship Express, is a twice-weekly train Tuesdays and Fridays that runs between Delhi and Attari in India and Wagah and Lahore in Pakistan. 3. Roadways: It is linked via Roadways by Punjab which connects it to Lahore.