Transport in India (Railways, Roads, Waterways and Airways)
The most important means of transport in India are roads, railways, airways, and waterways. Motor vehicle population in India is low by international standards. On the other hand India’s public transport systems are among the most heavily used in the world.
Rail Transport in India
Railways are the most important means of transportation in India. India’s rail network is the 4th longest and the most heavily used system in the world. Indian Railways provides an important mode of transport in India, transporting over 18 million passengers and more than 2 million tonnes of freight daily across one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world.
Road Transport in India
India has a network of National Highways connecting all the major cities and state capitals, forming the economic backbone of the country. As of 2013, India has a total of 70,934 km of National Highways, of which 1,208 km (751 mi) are classified as expressways. Under National Highways Development Project (NHDP), work is under progress to equip some of the important national highways with four lanes; also there is a plan to convert some stretches of these roads to six lanes. The National Highways carry about 40% of total road traffic, though only about 2% of the road network is covered by these.
Water Transport in India
Water transport is the oldest and cheapest form of transport. It is one of the most important external and internal means of transport in all the civilized countries of the world. It is useful for the carriage of bulky and heavy goods. In India, we have many great river systems. However, they are unevenly distributed, some of them are fully utilized for irrigation purposes, and some others are naturally unfit for navigation. In some parts of India, however, waterways are still extensively used for navigation purposes. In 2015-16, Government of India, declared 106 National Waterways (NW) under Inland Waterways Authority of India to reduce the cost of transportation and lower the carbon footprint by moving the traffic from surface roads and railroads to waterways.
Air Transport in India
Air transportation in India made a humble beginning in 1911 when air mail operation commenced over a little distance of 10 km between Allahabad and Naini. The Government is taking a keen interest in the expansion of civil aviation with schemes like the Open Skies Policy and UDAAN scheme. Open skies is an international policy concept that calls for the liberalization of the rules and regulations of the international aviation industry to liberalize the rules for international aviation markets and minimize government intervention and to adjust the regime under which military and other state-based flights may be permitted. For open skies to become effective, a bilateral (and sometimes multilateral) Air Transport Agreement must be concluded between two or more nations.