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Transportation in India – Roadways, Railways, Pipelines,

Waterways, Airways
The movement of goods and services from their supply locations to demand locations necessitates
the need for transport. The movement of goods and services takes place over three important
domains of the earth: land, water, and air.

The pace of development of a country depends on the production of goods and services, as well as
their movement along the space. Transportation is able to achieve the developments because of the
help provided by equally developed communication systems. India is well linked with the rest of the
world despite its vast size, diversity, and linguistic as well as cultural plurality.

What is Transport?

The movement of goods and services, people, from one place to the other place and by various
means like air, water, and land; is known as transportation. It supports the mobility of passengers
and freight.

Means of Transport Chart

Transport System in India Open In App

The transportation system in India is a complex network of transport modes and is based on the
historical developments, geographical features, and cultural and religious influences of the country.
Transport plays a very important role in the economic development of the country and affects the
environment due to global warming and climate change. With the advancement of technology,
transport has become much cheaper and faster.

Roadway Transport in India

The second largest network of roads is present in India, accounting for 62.16 lakh km, and has
preceded railways in India. Preference for roadways over railways in India is because:

Streets will prepare higher inclinations of slants and in and of itself will cross mountains just like
the chain, in addition, offers houses to deal with help, consequently, the expense of stacking and
marketing may be a heap lower.
Street transport is likewise used as a feeder to totally different strategies of transport, for
instance, they furnish an association between railway line stations, and air and ocean ports.
The development value of streets may be a heap below that of railroad lines, streets will cross
nearly additional analyzed and undulating
geography,
Street transport is reasonable in the transportation of a few individuals and moderately smaller
lives of products over temporary distances.
Provides door-to-door service as compared to railways.

Open
In India, roads area units are ordered in many In App
varieties as per their capacity, they are,
1. Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways: The general public authority has sent off a big street
improvement project connecting Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai conjointly, city by six-path Super
Highways. The North-South hallways connecting Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) and
Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu), and the East-West passageway interfacing Silchar (Assam) and
Porbandar (Gujarat) area unit are necessary for this endeavor. The significant goal of those Super
Highways is to decrease the time and distance between the super urban communities of India.
This route comes area unit being administered by the National Highway Authority of India
2. National Highways: They link the extreme parts of the country and are primary road systems and
are laid as well as maintained by Central Public Works Department. Major National Highways run
in direction of North-South and East-West directions. The Sher-Shah Suri Marg is called National
Highway Number 1, between Delhi and Amritsar.
3. State Highways: Roads that link the state capital and the different district headquarters are
known as the State Highways and are maintained by State Public Works Department.
4. District Roads: Roads that connect district headquarters with other places of the district are
called district roads and are maintained by Zila Parishad.
5. Other Roads: Other roads include the rural roads and special impetus is received from the
Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana.
6. Border Roads: Border Roads Organisation is a Government of India undertaking the construction
and maintained roads in the bordering areas of the country. These roads have helped to improve
the accessibility in areas of difficult terrain and economic development of the areas.

Roads can also be classified based on the material used for their construction into Metalled and
Unmetalled roads. Metalled roads are made of cement, concrete, or bitumen of coal, and
unmetalled roads are country roads, which are not cemented.

Railways In India

Rail routes are the necessary methodology of transportation for cargo and travelers in India. They
permit people to direct totally different exercises like business, moving, or journey aboard
transportation of merchandise over longer distances. Rail transport is most well-liked and
coordinated over other vehicles of transport. it’s fastened courses and timetables. The Indian
Railways is recognized at present into 16 zones.

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Distribution patterns of the railways in the country have influenced the physiographic, economic,
and also administrative factors:

1. Like the north plains, vast areas of flat lands and high density of populations and rich agricultural
resources provide for favorable conditions of growth and development. Construction of bridges is
required across rivers’ wide beds for laying railway lines.
2. In hilly areas, tracts are laid through low hills, gaps, and also tunnels. It is not easy to lay rail tracts
in the Himalayan mountains, the same way in the sandy plains of the states of Rajasthan,
swamps of Gujarat, and forested areas of Madhya Pradesh.
3. Construction of Konkan railways in recent times has facilitated movement more easily in one of
the economically vital areas of the country. However, it has faced problems like sinking tracks in
some stretches and also landslides in others.

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Rail transport has arisen collectively as the foremost trustworthy strategy of transport with regards
to somewhere safe and secure. Trains are fast and also the most unimpacted by common climate
turbulences like rain or haze, contrasted with alternative vehicle instruments. Rail transport is an
associate degree empowering agent of financial advancement, accustomed activate merchandise
further as people. Variations incorporate traveler rail lines, underground railroad metro railroads, and
merchandise carriages.

Pipelines

Pipelines are new in the transport network of India. These are used for shipping unrefined crude oil,
oil-based mostly commodities, and ignitible gas from oil and ignitible gas fields to process plants,
manure industrial facilities, and enormous atomic energy stations. Solids will likewise be captive
through a pipeline once modified over into suspension and to ship water between varied urban
areas.

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The interior locations of refineries like that of Barauni, Mathura, and also Panipat, other gas-based
fertilizer plants could be only thought of because of pipelines. The cost of laying pipelines is high
but the running cost is minimum and doesn’t have the provisions like that of trans-shipment losses
or delays.

There are unit 3 vital organizations of pipeline transportation within the country:

1. Gas pipeline from Hazira in Gujarat associates Jagdishpur in the state, by means that of Vijaipur
in Madhya Pradesh. it branches to Kota in Rajasthan, Shahajahanpur, Bab-rala, and totally different
spots in the state. It is 1,700 km and the first one.
2. From Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar in a geographical region, through Viramgam, Mathura, city,
and Sonipat. Its branches interface Koyali (close to Vadodara, Gujarat) Chakshu and totally
different spots.
3. From oil fields in higher Assam to Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), through Guwahati, Barauni and
Allahabad. it branches from Barauni to Haldia, by means of Raj-bandh, Raj-bandh to Mauri-gram,
and Guwahati to Siliguri.

Overall. India’s gas pipeline infrastructure of the country has increased from 1,700 km to that 18,500
km.

Waterways

India from its ancient times was a seafaring country and one of the cheapest means of transport.
They are most suitable for carrying bulky and heavy goods. They are fuel-efficient and also an
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environmentally friendly mode of transportation and have an inland navigation of 14,500 km in
length and out of this only 5685 km are navigable. The following are declared as National
Waterways by the Government:

1. N.W. No.1 – The Ganga waterway between Allahabad and Haldia (1620 km).
2. N.W. No.2 – The Brahmaputra river waterway between Sadiya and Dhubri (891 km).
3. N.W. No.3 – The West Coast Canal in Kerala (Kottapurma-Kollam, Udyoga Mandal and
Champakkras canals-205 km).
4. N.W. No.4 – Specified stretches of Godavari and Krishna waterways aboard the Kakinada
Puducherry stretch of channels (1078 km).
5. N.W. No.5 – Specified stretches of stream Brahmani aboard black pine waterway, delta channels
of Mahanadi and Brahmani streams, and geographic region Canal (588 km).

Some important inland waterways on which much of the transport takes place include the Mandavi,
Zuari, Cumberjua, Sunderbans, Barak, and also the backwaters of Kerala. Foreign trade of India is
carried in the ports along the coast. Of around 95 percent of the country’s volume of trade is carried
out in the sea, about 68 percent.

Major Sea Ports

India has a long coastline of about 7,516.6 km and is dotted with 12 major and around 200
notified non-major ports and major ports handle around 95 percent of the foreign trade.
Kandla in Kuchchh was the principal port to be created when autonomy. It is otherwise known as
the Deendayal Port. Open In App
 Mumbai is the greatest port with a spacious traditional and extremely abundant secure harbor.
Marmagao port (Goa) is the head iron metal commerce port of India. This port exports fifty
percent of iron ore.
Mangalore port, placed in Mysore takes special care of the merchandise of iron minerals. Kochi is
the super southwestern port, placed at the entry of a periodic event lake.
Kochchi is situated in the extreme southwestern port, which is located at the entrance of a lagoon
with a natural harbor.
Tuticorin port is organized in the super southeast. The city is one of the foremost established
faux ports of India.
Chennai is one of the oldest artificial ports in the country and is ranked next to Mumbai in terms
of volume of trade and cargo.
Vishakhapatnam is the most profound inland and everyone around safeguarded port nine.
Paradip port placed in Odisha has sensible expertise in the product of iron metal.
Paradwip port is located in Odisha and specializes in the export of iron ore.
Kolkata is an inland riverine port and serves as a very large and rich hinterland for the Ganga-
Brahmaputra basin. As it is a tidal port, it requires constant dredging of Hoogly.
Haldia port was developed as a subsidiary port, to relieve the growing pressure on Kolkata port.

Airways

The air is the fastest, most agreeable, and lofty methodology of transport. It can cover undeniably
difficult landscapes like high mountains, vast deserts, thick timberlands, and long maritime
stretches effortlessly. Take the example of Northeast India, which is marked by dense forests,
dissected relief, the presence of big rivers, etc. could be negotiated by air transport. Air
transportation was nationalized in 1953.

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Indian Airlines, Alliance Air (auxiliary of Indian Airlines), confidential engaged carriers, and non-
planned directors offer native air administrations and Air India provides international air
administrations. Indian Airlines’ tasks likewise reach bent on the contiguous nations of South and
South-East Asia and also the Middle East. As aviation routes are the costlier mode, it is not within
the span of average people.

Pawan-Hans Helicopters restricted provides heavier-than-air craft administrations to grease and gas
Corporation (ONGC) in its seaward tasks, to distant regions and difficult landscapes just like the
North-Eastern states and also the within items of Jammu and Cashmere, Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand. Air transport is not mostly within the reach of common people, only in northeastern
states, special provisions are made for the extension of services to common people.

Communication

Communication has evolved over time and the pace of changes has been more speedy in modern
times. Long-distance communication is easier without physical movement. Personal
communication and mass communication are some major means of communication in the country.

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Indian postal services are one of the largest in the world and handle parcels as well as personal
written communications:

1. First-class mails include cards and envelopes and are airlifted between stations covering both
land and air routes.
2. Second-class mail includes book packets, newspapers, and periodicals; which are carried by
surface mail, covering land and water transport.

For the facilitation of quick delivery of mail in the case of larger towns and cities, six mail channels
have been introduced recently, namely: Rajdhani Channel, Metro Channel, Green Channel, Bussiness
Channel, Bulk Mail Channel, and Periodical Channel.

India has one of the largest telecom networks in Asia; the exclusion of urban spaces, around two-
thirds of villages in India, have already been covered under Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) facility.
The government has also made provision to extend the 24 hours STD facilities to every village in the
country and a uniform rate of STD facilities around India. This is possible because of the
advancement of space and communication technology.

Mass Communication

Mass communication provides both entertainment and also created awareness about the different
policies and missions. It includes radio, television, newspaper, and so forth. All India Radio, which is
Akashwani broadcasts a variety of programs in different languages to different categories of

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people. Doordarshan, a national television channel is one of the largest terrestrial networks and also
broadcasts a variety of programs for people of different age groups.

Newspapers are published in more than 100 languages and are also the largest producer of feature
films in the world. The Central Board of Film Certification is the authority for the certification of both
Indian as well as foreign movies.

International Trade

The exchange of goods among people, states, and also countries is referred to as trade and these
exchanges usually take place in the markets. Trade between two countries is known as international
trade and may take place through land, water, or air routes. Improvement and development of trade
of a country is an index to the economic development and prosperity of the country and is
considered one of the economic barometers of the country.

Exports and imports are the main two components of trade and the balance of trade in a country is
the difference between export and import. When the value of export is above that of import, it is a
favorable balance of trade. India has trade relations with the major trading blocks in the world and
commodities exported from India include gems and jewelry, chemicals, agriculture, etc.
Commodities imported are petroleum, gems, chemicals, base metal, electronics, agriculture, etc.
India has developed significantly in the context of software development and is earning huge
foreign exchange through the export of information technology.

Tourism as a Trade

Tourism is growing substantially in India over the last three decades and more. Many millions of
people are engaged in the tourism industry. Tourism helps to promote the aspects of national
integration, support to the indigenous and handicrafts, and also in the pursuits of culture and
spirituality. It helps to develop a sense of international understanding of culture and heritage.

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Foreign travelers visit India for its heritage tourism, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, business tourism
as well as medical tourism. Due to the vast diversity present in India, tourism has the potential to
grow many folds in India and efforts have been taken up by the government to promote the tourism
industry in India.

FAQs on Lifelines of the National Economy

Question 1: What is transportation?

Answer:

Transportation refers to the movement of goods and people from a place to another and the
various means by which these movements are accomplished.

Question 2: What is the national economy?

Answer:

It refers to the production, distribution and trade, consumption of good and services by the
different agents of the nation.

Question 3: What do you mean by the lifelines of the economy?

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 Lifelines of a economy ensure that the finished products are transported to the consumers, as
they determine the pace of the country’s development and efficient modes of transport is very
important for the same.

Question 4: When was the Indian postal service started?

Answer:

With the initiative of Warren Hastings in 1766, under the East India Company to start the postal
service.

Question 5: What is the meaning of “International trade”?

Answer:

It refers to the exchange of capital, goods and services across the international borders
because there is a need for the same.

Article Tags : Class 10 School Geography School Learning Social Science SSC/Banking Geography-Class 10

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