Transportation in India

The history of transportation spans the entire history of mankind. Today most of us take travelling and the modes of transport for granted. This project has been an eye opener for me and has helped me understand the impact travelling and transportation has had on our lives and lifestyles. Transport has become an integral part of our lives, it connects people and places. Although initially the primary purpose for travel was trade and commerce it lead to exchange of knowledge, culture, religion, and technology. Transportation is important because it promotes: 1. Understanding of different people, cultures and places leading to relationships. 2. Availability of resources and services across regions. This reduces disparity and scarcity and provides variety. 3. Trade and commerce within the country and with other nations and boosts the economy of the place. 4. Evacuation and aid to areas affected by natural calamities or wars. 5. Tourism, sightseeing and leisure. Whenever any of us need to travel we think of driving or taking a flight. Can you guess the fastest mode of travelling which doesnt need a vehicle neither costs anything? You guessed it right, it is mind- travel. Now let us embark on a journey and time - travel to see how transportation evolved through the years.

Historical perspective
The evolution of the different modes of transport In Palaeolithic and Neolithic times the nomads kept moving from place to place for food and shelter. Their only mode of transport was their feet. Once agriculture started nomads began to settle. Their entire clans used to live in close proximity and the human settlements were fairly self-sufficient. They did not feel the need to travel. 4000 BC was the turning point in the history of transportation. The rolling of a rock from a mountain led to the invention of a wheel. This led to a series of advancements in transportation. As time passed, agricultural methods improved leading to surplus goods. This probably initiated the need to transport goods to other places and thus trade began. Historians believed that canals linking Euphrates and Tigris were used for transportation in Mesopotamia even before the wheel was invented. Around 520 BC the Persian emperor, Darius I, built the Great canal linking the Nile and the Red Sea and this was the beginning of water transport. The 6th century BC was the year the first form of railways was used in Greece. There were grooves made in limestone and boats kept on platforms were pushed by slaves.

Around the 2nd century BC the primary means of communication was through hand carried messages. To enhance the speed of travellers just wheels and vehicles were insufficient, hence Romans started building roads. Around 3rd century BC the Chinese undertook the task of joining many existing waterways into the famous Grand Canal which helped transport rice. This was followed by construction of the European canals around the 12th century AD in the Netherlands primarily for drainage, but it also served as an efficient transport network. Around 1782 the development and refinement of steam engine by James Watt lead to the steam engine trains running on brittle cast-iron plates. The advent of air travel began in 1783 AD with the Hydrogen hot air balloon and further refined to the first flight by the Wright Brothers in an engine airplane in 1903 AD. This was just the beginning and all forms of travel be it vehicles on road, trains on tracks, ships in waterways and flights in the sky improved by leaps and bounds to the present day state.

The evolution and growth of transport in India Before British Colonization

Prior to the arrival of the British bullock carts, horses and camels comprised the primary means of transport on land and boats were used to carry cargo. Around 2nd century BC, the primary route that connected India to the neighbouring countries was the Silk route or Silk Road. It got its name from a Chinese lucrative silk that was traded along the route and during those days only the Chinese knew how to make silk. This trade route connected the Roman and the Chinese empires. It passed from the eastern borders of Europe through north India and the Himalaya mountain range to the Taklamakan desert, terminating in the desert regions of Tun-huang in western China. It was a network of smaller trade routes that went over 7,000 miles across Asia. Through this trade route the Chinese traded jade and silk and imported glass from Rome and spices from India. They also traded gold, silver, jewellery, metalwork, glassware, animals, sheep, goats, horses and ivory from Africa. Flowers, fruits, herbs and spices came from the Middle East and furs and skins from Russia. Traders usually traversed only a section of the route, transferring their goods to other caravans at various points along the way. The Silk Road was the principal path for the early transmission of Buddhism from India to China, and later for Chinese pilgrims travelling from China to India in search of teachings and scriptures. Many different religions spread along this route. Algebra, astronomy, Arabic numerals, medical techniques, architectural styles, and a host of primarily Chinese techniques and inventions, e.g.,

printing and papermaking, spread from East to West, while various construction techniques, seafaring methods, medicinal plants and poisons, cotton cultivation, and horse-related items such as saddles and stirrups spread from West to East. During the 16th century, the Grand Trunk Road was one of the longest and major roads of south Asia. The foundation of the road was laid during the reign of the Maurya dynasty and later Sher Shah Suri re-conceived it and built it further to connect Agra, his capital, with Sasaram, his hometown. The grand trunk road spanned over 2600 kms. The Mughals, who succeeded the Suris, extended the road westwards to Kabul in Afghanistan, crossing the Khyber Pass and eastwards to port city of Chittagong. This road was later improved by the British and extended to run from Howrah to Peshawar. This was renamed by them as the "Grand Trunk Road". Over the centuries, the Grand Trunk road, was one of the most important trade routes in the region and facilitated both travel and communication. Today this mighty stretch has been split as National Highways 1 and 2 with Delhi being at the junction. (National Highway 2 links Kolkata with Delhi and National Highway 1 runs from Delhi to Indo-Pak border). In India, the Grand Trunk Road now forms a part of the Golden Quadrilateral Project. During British Rule

Prior to British Rule India did not have steam engine and navigation canals. Except the coastal and river valley regions in India, transportation was costly, undependable and difficult. The British initially came to India as traders. They wanted to reach new markets for their wares and also source cheap raw material for the British industry. Therefore they felt the need for a good transportation system to reach the interiors of India. Although their ideas were meant for their benefit, they indirectly served the welfare of the Indians too. Lord Dalhousie played a vital role in the construction of the transportation system. Many projects were initiated for building roads, bridges, canals and ports. Navigational canals were dug and the steam ships and steam boats were introduced to the waters. British realized that only the rail network could satisfy their needs of easy and cheap mode of transport. The first railway lines between Bombay and Thane were built in 1853 thereafter Kolkata was connected with Raniganj and Madras with Arcot. By 1869, 6,400 kms long railway lines were constructed and by 1929, there were 66,000 km of railway lines serving most of the districts in the country. The railways not only ensured quicker movement of goods, but also of British troops. The transport system developed during the British rule had tremendous effect both on India as well as Britain. For Britain: The construction of the transport system profited the British merchants and capitalists the most.

It accelerated the pace of colonialism and economic exploitation of India. Within a short period, India was converted into a market for the British machine-products and a source of raw materials for the British industries. Economy of Britain flourished at the cost of Indian economy. It provided stability and they succeeded in suppressing internal resistances and external aggressions due to greater mobility to the army and military. For India: It established greater contact and inter-action among the people from different parts of India. This led to feeling of oneness and patriotism. The economic system changed the pattern of agriculture instead of the emphasis on food-crop the emphasis shifted to cash-crops like cotton, jute and tea. Thus initiating the process of commercialization of agriculture.

Current Scenario
India is a very large and diverse country and it caters to the needs of 1.27 billion people. Since the economic liberalisation of the 1990s, development of the transport sector within India has progressed at a rapid pace. The transport systems in India can be broadly classified into: 1. 2. 3. 4. Road transport Rail Network Water Ways and Air travel

Road Transport

India has the third largest road network in the world with over 4.2 million km in in 2010. Road

transport has emerged as the dominant segment in Indias transport sector. It is estimated that the road network carry nearly 65% of freight and 85% of the passenger traffic. The road network can be broadly classified into five broad categories:
1.

Expressway are 6 or 8 lane highways with controlled-access meaning they can only
be accessed and exited using ramps. They are exclusively designed for high-speed traffic. They are separated from the rest of the traffic and there are no traffic signals, intersections or any other roads, railways, or pedestrian crossings. India has approximately 942 km of expressways.

2. National Highways (NHs) are the arterial roads for inter-state connectivity and movement of passengers and goods. They connect the National and State capital, major ports and rail junctions and link up with the border roads and foreign highways. Although they comprise less than 2 per cent of the road network, they carry 40 % of the road-based traffic. 3. State Highways (SHs) - State Highways (SHs) and Major District Roads (MDRs) constitute the secondary system of road transportation. They connect National Highways, district headquarters, important towns, tourist locations and minor ports. 4. Other Roads and 5. Rural Roads - 61% of the total road length in India is accounted for by rural roads. Growth of the road network in India is provided in the table below: .

As is seen from the table above, the aggregate length of roads, which was 0.4 million km in 1950-51 has increased more than 10 fold to 4.24 million km by 2010. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is the Central Government body entrusted with the task
of formulating policies and administering them, to increase mobility and the efficiency of the road transport system in the country. The Ministry has two wings: Road Wing is responsible for development and maintenance of National Highway in the country. They provide technical and financial support to State Governments for the development of state roads. Transport Wing is responsible for formulating policies of vehicle registration, safety, insurance and taxation.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways carries out development and maintenance work of National Highways through three agencies. viz. National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), State Public Works Departments (PWDs) and Border Road Organisation (BRO).

In order to give boost to the economic development of the country, the Government has embarked upon a massive National Highways Development Project (NHDP) in the country. The NHDP is the largest highway project ever taken in the country. The NHDP is being implemented by NHAI some of the important developments under this project are:
1.

2.

3.

Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) - it is an expressway connecting the cities of Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata. The expressways will aggregate 5846 kms and reduce the load on the Golden Quadrilateral Rail system, which also connects Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai. This has been almost completed. North-South and East West corridors are also expressways which will connect the extremities of India. The North South expressway will connect Srinagar and Kanyakumari and the East West corridor will connect Porbandar and Silchar. Together they will aggregate 7300 kms of 4 to 6 lane expressways. As of January 2012, 5945 of 7300 kms project has been completed. Port Connectivity - is linking the 10 major ports in India to their nearest national highways to facilitate smoother cargo evacuation. This would involve 4 laning of the roads, 356 kms and has been completed.

The following four stretches are common between the Golden Quadrilateral and the NS-EW Corridors.

DelhiAgra: Golden Quadrilateral & NorthSouth Corridor BangaloreKrishnagiri: Golden Quadrilateral & NorthSouth Corridor AkbarpurKanpur: Golden Quadrilateral & EastWest Corridor UdaipurChittorgarh: Golden Quadrilateral & EastWest Corridor

Apart from the NHDP there are about 41290 kms of National Highways where development and maintenance is being carried out. There is also a Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in the North Eastern Region for improving road connectivity to the remote places of the region. It involves: 1. Two to four laning of about 3251 kms of National highways 2. Two laning improvement of 4388 kms of State Roads.

In conclusion the Government aims to modernize, expand, and integrate the country's transport services. All these projects and development work has been an employment generator and are expected to boost the economy of the country and the regions. Government has made substantial efforts to identify the sectors shortcomings and to reform the situation.

Rail Transport
Indian Railways (IR) is the largest rail network in Asia and fourth in the world next to the U.S.A., the U.S.S.R. and the Canada. The significance of railways is very high for a vast and populated country like India. It is the primary mode of transport and connects the different regions. The railways are an energy efficient mode of transport. Over the years the steam engines have been replaced by diesel and electric engines which has led to further efficiency. As compared to road transport, Railways are 5 to 6 times more energy efficient, 4 times more efficient in land use and significantly superior from the standpoints or environment impact and safety. Indian Railways, therefore, rightly occupies the pride of place in the growth and development of the nation and its economy. Railways perform the dual role, that of a commercial organization as well as a vehicle for fulfilling social objectives. In national emergency, railways have been in the forefront in rushing relief material to disaster stricken regions. As a part of its social obligations, railways provide subsidized services and make investments that are un-remunerative. The countrys high-density rail corridors face severe capacity constraints and need to expand to keep pace with the growth of the Indian economy. In keeping with the strategic importance of rail transport and the demand the Ministry of Railways has launched expansion projects. Some of them are: 1. Strengthening of the golden Quadrilateral to run more long-distance mail/express and freight trains at a higher speed of 100 kmph. 2. Strengthening of rail connectivity to ports and development of multi-modal corridors to hinterland. 3. Construction of four mega bridges - two over River Ganga, one over River Brahmaputra, and one over River Kosi. The Ministry of Railways is responsible for the country's rail transport. The ministry operates the state-owned Indian Railways, and is headed by the Chairman of Railway Board. The 12 public undertakings under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways are: 1. Bharat Wagon and Engineering Co. Ltd. (BWEL) 2. Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) 3. Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR) 4. Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) 5. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) 6. Indian Railway Construction (IRCON) International Limited 7. Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFC)

8. Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) 9. Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) 10. Railtel Corporation of India Limited (Rail Tel) 11. Rail India Technical and Economic Services Limited (RITES) 12. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) Although one may assume that the Rapid Transit System in India is under the Railway ministry. It is actually an independent organisation (except Kolkata Metro in Kolkata which was taken over by the Ministry of Railways from the Ministry of Urban development and the state government of West Bengal in 2011). The Rapid Transit System consists of: 1. Metro - is an urban passenger transportation system which uses elevated or underground trains or a combination of both." While Metro can carry more people and is faster Monorails consume minimal space and hence can be built even around overcrowded and short streets. Monorails are easier to build and cost lesser too. 2. Monorail is a railway system which uses a single rail track. It is usually elevated but can also be at grade or in a subway tunnels. Monorail vehicles are WIDER than the guideway that supports them. 3. Light rails have low floor vehicles that run on rails. Light Rail Vehicles have the electrical workings contained in the roof and passengers enter Light Rail vehicle from a raised platform. Light Rail also interact with road traffic but not as much as Trams. Trams in comparison have the electrical workings underneath the floor and passengers are required to step up onto a Tramcar.

Indian Railways is a gigantic establishment and one of the largest employers with 1.4 million employees. The assets under its management and the extent of its operations are listed below: 115,000 km of track over a route of 65,000 km of this 23,541 km (36%) is electrified. 7,500 stations 2,39,281 Freight Wagons 59,713 Passenger Coaches and 9,549 Locomotives (43 steam, 5,197 diesel and 4,309 electric locomotives), 2300 Goods sheds, 700 Repair shops. It operates 14,444 trains and carries some 25 million passengers and 2.8 million tonnes of freight per day. Its operations cover 24 States and 3 Union territories and limited international services to Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The Indian railway system has 3 different gauge systems (gauge is the distance between the inside edges of the two rails). They are the: 1. Broad gauge 54,257 kms of track where the distance between the rails is 1.67meters. 2. Meter gauge 7,180 kms where the distance between the rails is 1 meter. 3. Narrow gauge 2,537 kms where the distance between the rails is 0.72 meter. Choice of the rail guage depends on various factors like terrain, curves, speed, nature of traffic (freight or passenger), costs and ease of construction. However, uniformity of gauge is all

important to allow for inter connectivity, interoperability and standardization of wagons and locomotives etc. In India Viceroy Lord Dalhousie introduced the Broad guage and later Viceroy Lord Mayo introduced Meter guage to lower costs and for easier and faster construction. The Narrow guage were mostly built privately by Princely states and a few others were built to connect hill stations where the topography of the place did not allow for wider guage. However, the Ministry of Railways have taken a policy decision of adopting uni-guage and are gradually converting Meter and Narrow guage where possible into Broad guage. Indian rail transport is divided into 17 zones to facilitate operations and management these are detailed in the table below:

Sl. No

Name

Route km

Headquarter s

Divisions

1.

Central

3905

Mumbai

Mumbai, Bhusawal, Pune, Solapur, Nagpur

2.

East Central

3628

Hajipur

Danapur, Dhanbad, Mughalsarai,Samastipur, Sonpur

3.

East Coast

2677

Bhubaneswar

Khurda Road, Sambalpur and Waltair (Visakhapatnam)

4.

Eastern

2414

Kolkata

Howrah, Sealdah, Asansol, Malda

5.

North Central

3151

Allahabad

Allahabad, Agra, Jhansi

6.

North Eastern

3667

Gorakhpur

Izzatnagar, Lucknow, Varanasi

7.

North Western

5459

Jaipur

Jaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur

8.

Northeast Frontier

3907

Guwahati

Alipurduar, Katihar, Rangia, Lumding,Tinsukia

9.

Northern

6968

Delhi

Delhi, Ambala, Firozpur, Lucknow,Moradabad

Sl. No

Name

Route km

Headquarter s

Divisions

10.

South Central

5803

Secunderabad

Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Guntakal, Guntur,Nanded, Secunde rabad

11.

South East Central

2447

Bilaspur

Bilaspur, Raipur, Nagpur

12.

South Eastern

2631

Kolkata

Adra, Chakradharpur, Kharagpur, Ranchi,

13.

South Western 3177

Hubli

Hubli, Bangalore, Mysore

14.

Southern

5098

Chennai

Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, Salem, puram

[12]

Palakkad, Thiruvanantha

15.

West Central

2965

Jabalpur

Jabalpur, Bhopal, Kota

16.

Western

6182

Mumbai

Mumbai Central, Ratlam, Ahmedabad,Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Vadodara

17.

Metro Railway, 26 Kolkata

Kolkata

Some of the interesting facts and special trains operated by Indian Railways are:

1. There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Indian Railways the Chatrapati Shivaji
Terminus in Mumbai (earlier called Victoria Terminus) and the Mountain Railways of India which consists of three separate railway lines located in different parts of India:

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a narrow gauge railway in West Bengal. Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a metre gauge railway in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. Kalka-Shimla Railway, a narrow gauge railway in the Shivalik mountains in Himachal Pradesh. In 2003 this was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for offering the steepest rise in altitude in the space of 96 kilometre.

2. Maharaja Railways (Gwalior Light Railway), a narrow gauge line of just 610mm width
from Gwalior to Sheopur of 198 km. in length it is the world's longest narrow gauge railway line is in the UNESCO world heritage tentative list.

3. Palace on Wheels is a specially designed train, frequently hauled by a steam locomotive, for
promoting tourism in Rajasthan.

4. Samjhauta Express is a train that runs between India and Pakistan. However, hostilities
between the two nations in 2001 saw the line being closed. It was reopened when the hostilities subsided in 2004. Another train connecting Khokhrapar (Pakistan) and Munabao (India) is the Thar Express that restarted operations on 18 February 2006; it was earlier closed down after the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

5. Lifeline Express is a special train popularly known as the "Hospital-on-Wheels" which provides
healthcare to the rural areas. This train has a carriage that serves as an operating room, a second one which serves as a storeroom and an additional two that serve as a patient ward. The train travels around the country, staying at a location for about two months before moving elsewhere.

6. Among the famous locomotives, the Fairy Queen is the oldest operating locomotive in the
world today, though it is operated only for specials between Delhi and Alwar.

7. Kharagpur railway station also has the distinction of being the world's longest railway platform
at 1,072 m (3,517 ft).

8. The Ghum station along the Darjeeling Toy Train route is the second highest railway station in
the world to be reached by a steam locomotive.

9. Vivek Express, between Dibrugarh and Kanyakumari, has the longest run in terms of distance
and time on Indian Railways network. It covers 4,286 km in about 82 hours and 30 minutes.

10. Himsagar Express, between Kanyakumari and Jammu Tawi, has the second longest run in
terms of distance and time on Indian Railways network. It covers 3,715 km in about 69 hours and 30 minutes.

11. The Bhopal Shatabdi Express is the fastest train in India today having a maximum speed of
150 km/h on the FaridabadAgra section. The fastest speed attained by any train is 184 km/h in 2000 during test runs.

There have been a lot of indigenous effort leading to innovation in Indian Railways and some of these are: 1. Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC) has invented: a. the Anti Collision Device (ACD), which is capable of avoiding collision between trains. b. Roll On Roll Off, where loaded trucks are directly carried by railway wagons to their destination. This has helped saving fuels, decongesting roads, reducing pollution and providing comfort, safety and speed by avoiding driving through rough terrain and extreme conditions. c. Self Stablising Track (SST) which will help Railways run the fastest train in the near future and will make tracks much more safe and sustainable. 2. Chittranjan Locomotive Works has built "state-of-the-art" high horse power three phase electric locomotive. 3. Diesel Locomotives Works, Varanasi has produced state-of-the-art 4000 HP diesel locomotive which is capable of hauling 4,800 tonne freight trains at a speed of 100 KMPH and can run continuously up to 90 days in one stretch without any major maintenance.

Shipping and Waterways

India is among the 20 largest shipping nations globally on the basis of merchant fleet size. Indias coastline is more than 7500 kms and there is about 14000 kms of navigable rivers and canals for Inland Water Transport. Indian shipping tonnage reached almost 11.06 million GT's (Gross Tons) at the end of 2008 and the number of vessels grew to 1158 in Jan 2012. Water Transport is recognised as the cheapest mode of transport for bulk haulage over long distance between places situated along the waterfront. Waterways like the other modes of transport account and add to the social and economic development of a country.

India has 12 major and 187 minor and ports along the coastline. The distinction between major and minor ports is not based on the amount of cargo handled. The major ports are managed by the Port Trusts which are under the central government. The minor ports are regulated by the respective state governments and many of these ports are private ports or captive ports. India's ports handled an estimated 650 million tons of cargo in the year ended March 2007. The major ports of India handled 560 m tons of cargo in 2011-12. The most important port is the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai. The Cochin Port Trust in Kochi is a Natural Harbour and the 2nd busiest port in India. The Port of Kolkata is the oldest operating port in India, having originally been constructed by the British East India Company. The ports are the main centres of trade. In India about 95% of the foreign trade by quantity and 70% by value takes place through the ports.[129]Mumbai Port & JNPT(Navi Mumbai) handles 70% of maritime trade in India. There are twelve major ports in India they are:

Major/Intermediate/Minor Ports of India Cargo Handled (Million Metric Tons) : 2011-12 67.4 43.2 55.7 82.5 54.6

Port

Containers Ship (TEUs) Calls

Visakhapatnam Kolkata/Haldia Chennai Kandla Mumbai JNPT/Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal Gateway Terminals India New Mangalore Mormugao

46,736 350,000 1,120,000* 177,000 138,201

2 109 3 127 1 857 2 124 6 088

65.8

3,300,000

2 380

32.9 39.0

21,460* 10,011

1,144*

Paradip Kochi Tuticorin Ennore

54.3 20.1 28.1 15.0

2,000 203,000 377,102 -

1,636* 1 225 1 533 201

The Ministry of Shipping, under Central Government of India, is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to Shipping and Ports. The Ministry of Shipping through Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) manages offshore and other marine transport infrastructure in the country. SCI was awarded the prestigious "Navratna" status by Indian Government in 2008. It started out as a marginal Liner shipping Company with just 19 vessels, the SCI has today evolved into the largest Indian shipping company which operates a fleet of 80 vessels as of March 2013 totaling 5.90 million deadweight (DWT). It owns and operates about 35% of Indian tonnage and operates in practically all areas of shipping business servicing both national and international trades. .

Inland Waterways
India has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks. The total navigable length is 14,500 kms. Freight transport by inland waterways is highly underutilized in India. The total cargo moved by inland waterways is just 0.15% of the total inland traffic in India. Cargo that is transported in an organized manner is confined to a few waterways in Goa, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under Ministry of Shipping is the authority in charge of the waterways in India. It does the function of building the necessary infrastructure in these waterways, surveying the economic feasibility of new projects and also administration and regulation. Following waterways have been declared as National Waterways:

National waterway-1: AllahabadHaldia stretch of the GangesBhagirathiHooghly river of total length 1620 km was declared as National Waterway-1 (NW-1) in the year 1986. National Waterway-2: SadiyaDhubri stretch of the Brahmaputra river of total length 891 km was declared as National Waterway-2 (NW-2) in the year 1988. National Waterway-3: KollamKottapuram stretch of West Coast Canal and Champakara and Udyogmandal canals of total length 205 km was declared as National Waterway-3 (NW-3) in the year 1993.

National Waterway- 4: KakinadaPondicherry stretch of canals and Kaluvelly tank, BhadrachalamRajahmundry stretch of River Godavari and Wazirabad Vijayawada stretch of River Krishnaof total length 1095 km was declared as National Waterway-4 (NW-4) in the year 2008.

National Waterway-5: TalcherDhamra stretch of rivers, GeonkhaliCharbatia stretch of East Coast Canal, CharbatiaDhamra stretch of Matai river and Mahanadi delta rivers of total length 620 km was declared as National Waterway-5 (NW-5) in the year 2008.

National Waterway-6: Lakhipur-Bhanga stretch of 121 km of the Barak River is the 6th waterway. It will result in unified development of the waterways for shipping and navigation and transportation of cargo to the North Eastern Region particularly in the states of Assam, Nagaland,

Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. It was accepted as National Waterway in January 2013 by Union Cabinet. In conclusion while shipping and waterways are eco-friendly, economical and a favourable mode
of transport it has been underutilized and road and rail transport still remain the preferred mode for most. This is probably due to the congestion and inefficiency of the Ports. All the same the

Port traffic has more than doubled during the 1990s, touching 650 million tons in 2006-07. India's ports need to significantly ramp up their capacity and efficiency to meet these surging demand.

Air Transport
The history of civil aviation in India began when J.R.D. Tata, a visionary had founded the first airline (called Tata Airline) in 1932 and had himself piloted its inaugural flight. This was done without any patronage from the government however after independence in 1948, Air India International Ltd., was established by the Government of India as a joint venture with Tata Airline. Later the airline was nationalized as Indian Airlines (IA) in 1953 and brought completely under the purview of Indian Government. The Ministry of Civil Aviation is responsible for the formulation of national policies and programmes for development and regulation of civil aviation and for devising and implementing schemes for oderly growth and expansion of civil air transport. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the national regulatory body for the aviation industry. It is controlled by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The ministry also controls aviation related autonomous organisations like the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi as well as the Public Sector Undertakings like Air India, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited. Till mid 1990s the government-owned airlines Air India and Indian Airlines dominated Indian aviation industry. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) was the only major player involved in developing and upgrading airports. The aviation industry includes not only aircrafts but also helicopters. Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited is a public sector company that provides helicopter services to Oil and Natural Gas Company (ONGC) to its off-shore locations, and also to various State Governments in India, particularly in North-east India.

India's rapidly increasing demand for infrastructural improvements and the high investment levels have prompted liberalization of the sector. The Open-sky policy and other liberalization policies that were adopted by the Indian Government propelled a rapid and dramatic transformation of the aviation sector.

Today India is the 9th largest civil aviation market in the world and ranked 4th largest in terms of domestic passenger volumes. India also has the world's highest helipad at the Siachen Glacier a

height of 6400 metre (21,000 ft) above mean sea level. The Hyderabad International Airport has been ranked amongst the world's top five in the annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) passenger survey along with airports at Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing. Airports Authority of India (AAI) operates 125 airports and civil enclaves out of a total of 449 airports and airstrips located throughout India. They also operate 41 heliports through Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited . The cities of Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi and Mumbai are served by privately (or joint-venture) operated airports. All operational airports handled a total of 157.5 million passengers (118.0 m domestic and 39.5 m international) in 2011. The total number of aircraft movements amounted to 1.52 million and freight handled exceeded 2.3 million tons in 2011. There are more than 20 international airports in India. The Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi and the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at Mumbai handle more than half of the air traffic in South Asia and more than 40 % of nations air traffic. The dramatic increase in air traffic for both passengers and cargo in recent years has placed a heavy strain on the country's major airports especially the Delhi and Mumbai airports. The international airports in India are:

State

City

Airport

Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

Assam

Guwahati

Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport

Bihar

Gaya

Gaya Airport

Delhi

New Delhi

Indira Gandhi International Airport

Gujarat

Ahmedabad

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport

Karnataka

Bengaluru

Bengaluru International Airport

Karnataka

Mangalore

Mangalore Airport

Kerala

Kochi

Cochin International Airport

Kerala

Kozhikode

Calicut International Airport

Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram

Trivandrum International Airport

Madhya Pradesh Bhopal Raja Bhoj Airport

Madhya Pradesh Indore Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport

Maharashtra

Mumbai

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

Maharashtra

Nagpur

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport

Maharashtra

Pune

Pune Airport

Meghalaya

Shillong

Zaruki International Airport

Rajasthan

Jaipur

Jaipur International Airport

Tamil Nadu

Chennai

Chennai International Airport

Tamil Nadu

Coimbatore

Civil Aerodrome

Tamil Nadu

Tiruchirappalli

Tiruchirapalli International Airport

Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow

Amausi Airport

West Bengal

Kolkata

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport

Advantages and Disadvantages of Air travel

Air travel is the preferred mode of travel for the following advantages: 1. Speed- It is the fastest mode of travel or freight. It is the best mode for travel in case of emergencies and transporting perishable goods. 2. Minimal infrastructure Only needs airports but no surface tracks like a network of roads or rails. 3. Direct access Can take the shortest and direct route to the destination. 4. Comprehensive reach Is not obstructed by physical terrain like mountains, seas and hence can reach difficult areas that are inaccessible through the other means of transport.

In spite of many advantages air transport has the following disadvantages: 1. Costs Although there are multiple low cost airlines, this is currently the most expensive mode of travel. It is beyond the reach of a large section of the population. Besides the investments in airports, aircrafts, fuel, maintenance and training is very high. 2. Risk It is also the most risky since any minor snag or collision (even with a bird) can lead to accidents. The survival rate in air accident is the least and the damage and costs the highest since the aircrafts are very expensive. 3. Limited capacity The aircrafts are small carriers and hence even with increase in fleet may not be the mode for mass transport in a country like India. 4. Unreliable Since air travel is impacted by weather conditions and is relatively more sensitive to it the reliability is compromised. In conclusion the Indian Aviation industry has grown dramatically after the liberalization. The total number of aircrafts in the country have increased from 225 in 2000 to 735 in 2010 and the no of operation airports has increased from 50 in 2000 to 82 in 2010 and the passenger handling capacity has increased from 66 million to 235 million. However, in spite of the above, India continues to be a small player in the international arena and even when compared to other emerging markets. Chinas domestic traffic is 5 times the size of Indias despite having a population just 15% larger. India has 1 aircraft for every 2.89 million population in comparison to 1.14 million in china, 0.96 of Indonesia, 0.89 in Philippines and 0.63 in Brazil. This shows that the there is still a lot of untapped potential for the Indian Aviation industry. References: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_India http://morth.nic.in/index1.asp?lang=1&linkid=10&lid=144 http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/history-of-transportation-4121.html http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ab79 http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/EXTSARREGTO PTRANSPORT/0,,contentMDK:20703625~menuPK:868822~pagePK:34004173~piPK:34003 707~theSitePK:579598,00.html http://www.facts-about-india.com/transportation-in-India.php http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_silk_road#page10 http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html http://www.answers.com/topic/silk-road#ixzz2VdtwQT5B

6. 7. 8. 9.

10. http://www.india9.com/i9show/Grand-Trunk-Road-48741.htm 11. http://www.preservearticles.com/2012010720133/essay-on-the-development-oftransport-and-communication-system-in-india-during-british-raj.html 12. http://www.shareyouressays.com/103088/4-important-impact-of-british-rule-in-india 13. http://www.preservearticles.com/201106228398/importance-of-transport-andcommunication.html 14. http://irc.org.in/ENU/knowledge/datalot/Basic%20Road%20Data/basic%20road%20data.p df 15. http://www.nhai.org/programme.htm 16. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Railways 17. http://www.irfca.org/faq/ 18. http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,1 19. http://web.archive.org/web/20050618234536/http://www.indianrail.gov.in/abir.html 20. http://www.irctc.com/organization.html

21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36.

http://www.preservearticles.com/201106238403/rail-transport.html http://www.nriol.com/returntoindia/indian-railways.asp http://www.knowindia.net/rail.html http://www.gujaratmetrorail.com/images/GAUGE%20COMMITTEE%20REPORT%20(MEGA) .pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Railways#Zonal_railways_details http://shipping.gov.in/ http://www.transportindia.org/indian_waterways.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_waterways_of_India http://india-wris.nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.php?title=Inland_Waterways http://iaspreparationonline.com/2013/03/23/national-waterways/ http://info.shine.com/Industry-Information/Aviation/140.aspx http://www.ibef.org/industry/indian-aviation.aspx http://www.ibef.org/download/Airports-March-220313.pdf http://www.publishyourarticles.net/knowledge-hub/business-studies/what-are-theadvantages-and-disadvantages-of-air-transport.html http://www.upscguide.com/content/list-airports-india http://www.icra.in/Files/ticker/Indian%20Aviation%20Industry%20(NEW).pdf