1. Introduction
Efficient transport is essential for a country's development. Goods and services don't move on their own from where they're made to where they're needed; this requires a transportation network.
Think of transport, communication, and trade as the three pillars that support a modern economy—they are all complementary and rely on each other. A dense and efficient network is the foundation for local, national, and global trade.
2. Means of Transport
India's transport system is divided into three main domains: Land, Water, and Air.
- ✓Land: Roadways, Railways, Pipelines
- ✓Water: Inland (within the country), Overseas (across the sea)
- ✓Air: Domestic Airways (within the country), International Airways (to other countries). These can be government-owned (Public Undertaking) or privately owned (Private Airlines).
3. Roadways
India has the second-largest road network in the world, totaling about 62.16 lakh km as of 2020-21. Roadways still have an edge over railways for several reasons.
Advantages of Roadways
- ✓Lower Construction Cost: Building roads is much cheaper than building railway lines.
- ✓Versatile Terrain: Roads can be built in comparatively more dissected and undulating (uneven) landscapes. They can also handle steeper slopes, making them suitable for mountainous regions like the Himalayas.
- ✓Economical for Short Distances: Road transport is more cost-effective for moving a few people or a small amount of goods over short distances.
- ✓Door-to-Door Service: Roads offer the convenience of picking up and dropping off goods right at the doorstep, which significantly lowers loading and unloading costs.
- ✓Feeder System: Roads act as a vital link to other forms of transport, connecting people to railway stations, airports, and sea ports.
Classification of Roads
Roads in India are categorized into six classes based on their capacity.
- ✓Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways: A major government project to link Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai with six-lane Super Highways to reduce travel time. It also includes the North-South (Srinagar-Kanniyakumari) and East-West (Silchar-Porbandar) corridors. Implemented by the NHAI.
- ✓National Highways (NH): The primary road systems connecting the most remote parts of the country.
- ✓State Highways: Roads linking a state capital with its various district headquarters.
- ✓District Roads: Roads connecting district headquarters with other places within the same district.
- ✓Other Roads: Includes rural roads linking villages to towns, boosted by the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana.
- ✓Border Roads: Built and maintained by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in border areas for strategic importance.
Roads are also classified by the material used:
- ✓Metalled Roads: Made of cement, concrete, or bitumen; these are all-weather roads.
- ✓Unmetalled Roads: These roads are unusable during the rainy season.
4. Railways
Railways are the principal mode of transport for both freight (goods) and passengers in India. They are crucial for business, tourism, and moving goods over long distances. For more than 150 years, railways have been a great integrating force, helping to bind the country's economic life and boost the development of industry and agriculture.
The first train journey in India was from Mumbai to Thane in 1853, covering 34 km. Today, the Indian Railway is the largest public sector undertaking in the country, reorganized into 17 zones.
Factors Shaping the Railway Network
The railway network's distribution is influenced by physical, economic, and administrative factors.
- ✓The Northern Plains: Most favorable due to vast level land, high population, and rich agriculture. However, numerous rivers required many bridges.
- ✓Hilly and Mountainous Regions: Unfavorable. The Himalayas are particularly challenging due to high relief and sparse population.
- ✓Other Difficult Terrains: Include the sandy plains of Rajasthan, swamps of Gujarat, and forested tracks. The Konkan Railway along the west coast was a major achievement despite challenges like landslides.
Problems Faced by Railways
- ✓Many passengers travel without tickets.
- ✓Theft and damage to railway property have not stopped completely.
- ✓People unnecessarily pull the train's emergency chain, causing heavy damage and delays.
Railway Gauges in India
The Indian Railway network operates on multiple track widths (gauges).
| Gauge in metres | Route (Km) |
|---|---|
| Broad Gauge (1.676) | 63,950 |
| Metre Gauge (1.000) | 2,402 |
| Narrow Gauge (0.762 and 0.610) | 1,604 |
| Total | 67,956 |
(Source: Railway Yearbook 2019-20, Ministry of Railways)
5. Pipelines
The pipeline network is a recent addition to India's transportation map. Initially used for water, they now carry crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas. Solids can also be transported as a slurry.
The main benefit is that while the initial laying cost is high, running costs are minimal. They also eliminate trans-shipment losses and delays.
Important Pipeline Networks
- ✓From oil fields in Upper Assam to Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), via Guwahati, Barauni, and Prayagraj.
- ✓From Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar in Punjab, via Viramgam, Mathura, Delhi, and Sonipat.
- ✓The Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur (HVJ) cross-country gas pipeline, linking Mumbai High and Bassein gas fields with industrial complexes in western and northern India.
6. Waterways
Waterways are the cheapest means of transport, ideal for heavy and bulky goods. They are also fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly.
Inland Waterways
India has 14,500 km of inland navigation waterways. The government has designated several as National Waterways (NWs):
- ✓NW No. 1: The Ganga river between Prayagraj and Haldia (1620 km).
- ✓NW No. 2: The Brahmaputra river between Sadiya and Dhubri (891 km).
- ✓NW No. 3: The West-Coast Canal in Kerala (205 km).
- ✓NW No. 4: Specified stretches of Godavari and Krishna rivers (1078 km).
- ✓NW No. 5: Specified stretches of the Brahmani river along with the East Coast Canal (588 km).
Major Sea Ports
With a long coastline of 7,516.6 km, India has 12 major and 200 non-major ports. These major ports handle 95% of India's foreign trade.
• Deendayal Port (Kandla): A tidal port developed after independence to ease volume on Mumbai port.
• Mumbai: The biggest port with a spacious, natural harbor.
• Jawaharlal Nehru Port: Planned to decongest the Mumbai port.
• Mormugao Port (Goa): Premier iron ore exporting port.
• New Mangalore Port: Exports iron ore from Kudremukh mines.
• Cochin: Extreme south-western port at a lagoon entrance.
• V.O. Chidambaranar (Tuticorin): Extreme south-eastern port with a natural harbor.
• Chennai: One of the oldest artificial ports.
• Vishakhapatnam: Deepest landlocked and well-protected port.
• Paradwip Port (Odisha): Specializes in exporting iron ore.
• Shyama Prasad Mookerjee (Kolkata): An inland riverine port requiring constant dredging.
• Haldia Port: Developed to relieve pressure on Kolkata port.
7. Airways
Air travel is the fastest, most comfortable, and prestigious mode of transport. It can cover difficult terrains like high mountains, deserts, and dense forests with great ease, making it essential for the north-eastern states.
Pawanhans Helicopters Ltd. provides helicopter services to oil and gas operations and to inaccessible areas in states like Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand.
8. Communication
Communication can be divided into personal communication and mass communication.
Postal Network
The Indian postal network is the largest in the world. It handles both parcels and personal written communications.
- ✓First-Class Mail: Cards and envelopes, which are airlifted between stations.
- ✓Second-Class Mail: Book packets, registered newspapers, and periodicals, carried by surface mail (land and water).
- ✓Six mail channels were introduced for quick delivery in large cities: Rajdhani, Metro, Green, Business, Bulk Mail, and Periodical Channels.
Telecom and Mass Media
- ✓India has one of the largest telecom networks in Asia. More than two-thirds of its villages have STD telephone facilities.
- ✓Mass communication includes radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, and films, providing entertainment and creating awareness.
- ✓All India Radio (Akashwani) broadcasts programs in national, regional, and local languages.
- ✓Doordarshan, the national television channel, is one of the largest terrestrial networks in the world.
- ✓Newspapers are published in about 100 languages, with the largest number in Hindi.
- ✓India is the largest producer of feature films in the world.
9. International Trade
Trade is the exchange of goods between people, states, or countries. Trade between two or more countries is called international trade. It is considered the economic barometer for a country.
- ✓Export and Import are the two components of trade.
- ✓Balance of Trade is the difference between a country's exports and imports.
- ✓A favorable balance is when exports are greater than imports.
- ✓An unfavorable balance is when imports exceed exports.
- ✓India's major exports include gems and jewellery, chemicals, and agricultural products.
- ✓Its major imports include petroleum, gems and jewellery, chemicals, and electronic items.
- ✓India has emerged as a software giant, earning large foreign exchange through IT exports.
10. Tourism as a Trade
Tourism in India has grown significantly. It promotes national integration, supports local handicrafts, and helps develop international understanding of India's culture and heritage.
Foreign tourists visit India for various reasons, including heritage, eco, adventure, cultural, medical, and business tourism. There is vast potential to develop this upcoming industry.