Transport of India

Roadways :
Roadways is the most important mode of transport in India. It has the ability to connect door to door.
It supplements all other modes of transport like railways, airways and waterways.
A road having milestone with yellow top and white bottom is known as national highway. These are
maintained by Central Public Works Department.
A road having milestone with green top and white bottom is known as state highway. These are
maintained by Public Works Department of the respective state.
Important national highway to be studied from atlas, their starting point, end point and the major
cities in between these two cities.
Private sector in now allowed in development of national highways.
National Highway Development Project was implemented by National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL).
Special Accelerated Road Development Program for North East (SARDP-NE) region is to connect
district headquarters and remote areas to state capitals in north east India.
Setu Bharatam is the project to make all national highways free from railway crossings by making
flyovers over them.
Bharatmala is the project to subsume unfinished parts of NHDP.
NHAI was established in1995.
National registry is created under Vahan for vehicle registration and Sarathi for driving license.
National Green Highways Project is to develop eco friendly national highwayswith participation of
community, farmers, NGOs and private sector under Green Highways (Plantation, transplantation,
Beautification and Maintenance) Policy 2016.
Golden Quadrilateral project is to reduce regional imbalances in economic and social development. It
consists of NH 2, 4, 5 and 8 connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
National Corridor project consists of North South Corridor from Srinagar to Kanyakumari having a
spur from Salem to Cochin. East West Corridor is from Porbandar in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam. This
project also aims at national unity. Both corridors cross each other at Jhansi.
Port Connecting project is to connect international sea ports to nearest national highway.
MRTS and BRT are developed for environment preservation and reduction in pollution.
Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) is located at New Delhi.
Important Tunnels :
(1) Dr.Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel, also known as Syama Tunnel, and formerly as Chenani-
Nashri Tunnel, is a road tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located in the Lower Himalayas,
on National Highway 44. It is India's longest road tunnel with a length of 9.28 km (5.8 mi) and
the country's first tunnel with a fully integrated tunnel control system. It reduces the distance
between Jammu and Srinagar by 30 km and travel time by two hours. The all-weather tunnel
bypasses snowfall and avalanche prone areas in winter at places like Patnitop, Kud and Batote
that obstruct NH 44 every winter and cause long queues of vehicles – sometimes for days on
end. It is named after Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
(2) Atal Tunnel (also known as Rohtang Tunnel) is a highway tunnel built under the Rohtang Pass in
the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway in Himachal Pradesh,
India. At a length of 9.02 km, it is the longest tunnel above 10,000 feet (3,048 m) in the world
and is named after former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The tunnel reduces the
travel time and overall distance between Manali and Keylong on the way to Leh. The route,
which previously went through Gramphu, was 116 km (72.1 mi) long and took 5 to 6 hours in
good conditions. The traveller now reaches the South Portal of the tunnel from Manali, a
distance of 24.4 km (15.2 mi) in about 50 minutes, goes through the 9.02 km (5.6 mi) long tunnel
in about 15 minutes, and reaches Keylong which is 37 km (23.0 mi) away in about 60 minutes.
The new route via the tunnel brings down the total distance travelled to 71 km (44.1 mi) which
can be covered in about 2 hours and 5 minutes, a reduction of around 3 to 4 hours when
compared to the earlier route. Moreover, the tunnel bypasses most of the sites that were prone
to road blockades, avalanches, and traffic snarls. The tunnel is at an elevation of 3,100 metres
(10,171 ft) whereas the Rohtang Pass is at an elevation of 3,978 metres (13,051 ft). It was
inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 3 October 2020. The cost of the entire project
is 3,200 crore (US$438 million).
(3) The Ganga-Munger Bridge is under construction rail-cum-road bridge over the river mighty
Ganga at Munger, Bihar state of India. The 3.46 kilometers long river bridge will connect two city
Bakhtiyarpur and Tajpur and also link the two national highways NH 80 and NH 31. Rail-cum-
road bridge over river Ganga at Munger, Bihar will be second longest rail road bridge of state
Bihar and third longest of the country.
(4) The Godavari Bridge is a truss bridge over the river Godavari at Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh
state of India. Godavari Bridge is also known as Kovvur-Rajahmundry Bridge and is Asia's second
longest road-cum-rail bridge above the water. This 2.7 kilometers long bridge is the landmark of
Rajahmundry and the second out of total three bridges over the Godavari river at Rajahmundry.
(5) The Naranarayana Bridge is another rail-cum-road bridge over the mighty Brahmaputra river at
Assam state of India. Naranarayan Setu is 2.5 kilometres long truss bridge and connect two city
Pancharatna and Goalpara of Assam. Naranarayana rail-road bridge is one of the India's largest
railway bridge and second longest bridge of Assam over the holy Brahmaputra river.
(6) The Rajendra Setu is the first rail-cum-road bridge over the holy river Ganga to connect both the
parts of Bihar. Rajendra Setu is also known as Mokama Bridge is located near Mokama in the
capital of Bihar, Patna. The 2.0 kilometres long bridge carries a double line railway track along
with two lane road.
(7) Saraighat Bridge is the first rail-cum-road bridge over the holy river Brahmaputra near Guwahati
in Assam. The 1.4 kilometres long river bridge connects both banks of Brahmaputra at Saraighat.
Saraighat village is famous for the fight between the Mughals and the Ahoms.
(8) The Dhola–Sadiya Bridge, also referred to as the Bhupen Hazarika Setu, is a beam bridge in India,
connecting the northeast states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The bridge spans the Lohit
River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra River, from the village of Dhola (Tinsukia District) in
the south to Sadiya to the north. The bridge is the first permanent road connection between the
northern Assam and eastern Arunachal Pradesh. At 9.15 kilometres (5.69 mi) in length, it is the
longest bridge in India over water. However, the 9.76 kilometres (6.06 mi) Kacchi Dargah–
Bidupur Bridge under construction in the Indian state of Bihar, is expected to become the
longest bridge in India upon its estimated completion in November 2021. With rapid movement
 of India's defense assets in mind following incursions by the Chinese Army, the Dhola–Sadiya
Bridge has been designed to handle the weight of 60-tonne (130,000-pound) tanks such as the
Indian Army's Arjun and T-72 main battle tanks. Since the Sino-Indian War, China has disputed
India's claim to Arunachal Pradesh, politically and militarily, along the Line of Actual Control,
making the bridge an important tactical asset in the ongoing dispute.
(9) The Dibang River Bridge, completed in 2018 as part of NH13 Trans-Arunachal Highway, is a 6.2
km long road bridge across Dibang River which connects Bomjir and Malek villages and provides
all-weather connectivity between Dambukand Roing in eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh state
of India. This strategically important bridge helps Indian militarycombat anti-national activities
and Chinese military threat in the easter sector of Line of Actual Control border areas. It is
known as "Talon" in Idu Mishmi language and as "Sikang" in area inhabited by Padam people. It
is sometimes also referred to as "Sisseri River bridge".
(10) Bogibeel bridge is a combined road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra River in the
northeastern Indian state ofAssam between Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh district which was
started in the year 2002 and took a total of 200 months to complete, Bogibeel river bridge is the
longest rail-cum-road bridge in India, measuring 4.94 kilometres over the Brahmaputra river. As
it is situated in an earthquake-prone area it is India's first bridge to have fully welded steel-
concrete support beams that can withstand earthquakes of magnitudes up to 7 on the Richter
Scale. It is Asia’s 2nd longest rail-cum-road bridge and has a serviceable period of around 120
years. It is the 5th longest bridge in India after Bhupen Hazarika Setu, Dibang River Bridge,
Mahatma Gandhi Setu and Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The bridge was constructed by a consortium
of construction companies headed by Hindustan Construction Company. The bridge has a
double rail line on the lower deck and a 3 lane road on the upper deck.It was inaugurated by
prime minister Narendra Modi on 25 December 2018 on the occasion of Good Governance Day.
(11) The Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge is a extradosed bridge in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The
bridge located in Jubilee Hills connects with Financial District and eases traffic congestion to
Madhapur across Durgam Cheruvu.
Railways :
Old nine zones of railways are :
(1) Northern Railway : New Delhi
(2) North Eastern Railway : Gorakhpur
(3) Eastern Railway : Kolkata
(4) South Eastern Railway : Kolkata
(5) North East frontier Railway : Malegaon, Guwhati
(6) South Central Railway : Secunderabad
(7) Southern Railway : Chennai
(8) Central Railway : Mumbai
(9) Western Railway : Mumbai
New seven zones of railways are:
(1) North Western Railway : Jaipur
(2) North Central Railway : Allahabad
(3) East Central Railway : Hajipur
(4) South East Central Railway : Bilaspur
(5) East Coast Railway : Bhubaneswar
(6) South Western Railway : Hubbali
(7) Western Central Railway : Jabalpur
Kolkata Metro Railway was made as the 17th zone for Kolkata metro.
Konkan Railway is not covered under any zone and is monitored by a separate authority. It is one of
the costliest railway tracks of the world. It is made to avoid the zig-zag NH 17. It I sknown for RORO
service, that is, road on Rail Service. It is 760km long from Roha to Mangalore.
Northern National Freight Corridor is from Delhi to Howrah and National Western Dedicated Freight
Corridor is from Delhi to Mumbai. These are the railway tracks made to handle the excess traffic and
movement of goods for which dedicated freight lines are made. These are were required due to
globalization, industrial export, inter port trading, economic and industrial development. In this
additional railway tracks were developed parallel to existing tracks.
Basic operating unit in Indian Railways is Division.
Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) at Lucknow is research and development wing of
Indian railways.
Separate railway budget since 1924-25 due to Separation Convention of 1924. It was to present 16
demands for grants. Since 2017-18 it was merged with the annual budget. Now 1 demand for grants
is presented by ministry of finance.
Airways :
Air services started in India in 1911 from Allahabad to Naini. First passenger flight was from Karachi to
Lahore in the decade of 1920s.
Some of the old airlines of India were Scindhia Airlines, Deccan Airlines, Himalayan Airlines, etc.
Pawanhans Limited was started in 1985 as Helicopter Corporation of India Limited. It was a
government company. It was to provide air services for oil and difficult terrain connectivity. It also
serves MoHA. It provides services at Kedarnath and Amarnath.
Earlier Air India was for international flights and Indian Airlines was for domestic. Later Indian airlines
was allowed in neighboring countries.
Airports Authority of India was established in 1995. Air India and Indian Airlines were merged
together in 2007 having the mascot as Maharaja and logo as Wheel of Sun Temple, Konark.
UDAN is a regional connectivity scheme under National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016 to make aviation for
masses.
Air Sewa launcjed in 2016 for convenience in air travel.
FDI limit was increased to 100% in both scheduled and non-scheduled airlines.
Total air space of India is 2.8 million square nautical miles out of which 1.05 is over land and 1.75 is
over ocean.
Important Institutions :
(1) Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy, Raibareilly.
(2) Civil Aviation Training College, Allahabad.
(3) Aviation Training School, Gundia, Maharashtra.
(4) National Institute for Aviation Management and Research, New Delhi.
(5) Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University, Raibareilly.
Important Airports :
Indira Gandhi International Airport : Delhi
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport : Kolkata
Chattrapati Shivaji Terminal : Mumbai
Anna International Airport : Chennai
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport : Hyderabad
Devanhalli International Airport : Bangalore
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport : Varanasi
Choudhary Chran Singh International Airport : Lucknow
Raja Sansi International Airport : Amritsar
John F.Kennedy : Ney York
Heathrow : London
Changi : Singapore
Narita : Tokyo
Charles d gal : Paris
Tribhuvan : Kathmandu
Waterways :
International :
India uses 3 main international sea routes :
(1) Strait of Malacca or Singapore Strait Route: For South East Asia, Oceania and Asia Pacific.
(2) Suez Canal Route: For Europe, North America and North Africa.
(3) Cape of Good Hope Route: For South and West Africa and Latin America.
Maximum international trade of India takes place by Strait of Malacca route, next by Suez Canal route
and minimum by Cape of Good Hope route.
A satellite port is a port near the major port which shares the load of the major port.
Major ports of India are :
(1) Kolkata : Only riverine port, SAARC port, known for tea and food grains.
(2) Paradip : Known for export of iron ore. Government of India took control from state government
in 1965.
(3) Vishakhapatnam : Only port to have 3 standardizations or international accreditations. Also
known for iron ore.
(4) Ennore : Also known as Kamarajar port. Known for coal.
(5) Chennai : All weather artificial port. Oldest port of India.
(6) Tuticorin : Also known as V.O.Chidambarnar. Located at Gulf of Mannar.
(7) Cochin : Known for spices, coconut, rubber, fish, etc.
(8) Mangalore : Known for iron ore from Kudremukh.
(9) Mormugao : Known for iron ore from Ratnagiri.
(10) Jawahar Lal Nehru : Having world class container handling facility. Private sector participation in
ports started from this port.
(11) Mumbai : Multipurpose port for a number of commodities including textiles.
(12) Kandla : Known as Deen Dayal Upadhyay port. It was made as a substitute for Karachi port after
independence. Vadinar is an off shore terminal.
Kandla is a tidal port. Vishakhapatnam is deepest in digging and it is not in sea but on coast. Paradip
has deepest water. Cochin port is at the entrance of lagoon. Tuticorin has natural harbor. All ports on
west coast as natural except Kandla. All ports on east coast are artificial.
Domestic :
It is interstate transportation. Very important for development of Indian economy. Export oriented
units are always developed near coasts. Domestic ports of India are :
(1) Gujarat : Mundra, Naulakhi, Mandovi, Okha, Dwarika, Porbandar, Navibandar, Veraval, Alang,
Bhavnagar, Cambay, Dahej, Sanand, Koyali, Ankaleshwar, Bharuch, Pipavav, Surat, Hazira,
Dahann.
(2) Maharashtra : Mahim, Alibagh, Maru, Majgaon, Srivardhan, Ratnagiri.
(3) Goa : Vosco.
(4) Karnataka : Bhatkal, Karvar, Udupi.
(5) Kerala : Quilone, Calicut, Kovalam, Thiruvananthpuram.
(6) Tamil Nadu : Kanyakumari, Rameshwaram, Point Kalimere, Karaikal, Porto Novo, Cuddalore,
Mahbalipuram, Pudducherry, Ennore.
(7) Andhra Pradesh : Machhlipatnam, Kakinada, Valtere, Kalingapatnam.
(8) Orissa : Puri, Gopalpur.
(9) West Bengal : Digha, Chandrabali, Roychowk, Port Canning, Falta.
(10) Lakshadweep : Kavaratti, Minicoy.
(11) Andaman and Nicobar : Port Blair, Mayabandar, Indira Point.
(12) Daman and Diu : Diu.
Inland :
It takes place by rivers, canals and lakes. It is very cheap and so very important for the industrial
development of the region. Entire Europe has well developed inland navigation and this is the reason
behind the development of Europe. Inland navigation is not developed in India because:
(1) South India is industrialized but rivers are not navigable as they are seasonal and they flow
through plateau region so having number of waterfalls. In north India rivers are navigable but it
is agrarian.
(2) Rivers of north India are young and keep changing their course. So construction and
maintenance of ports is very difficult.
(3) India was colonized by UK and they developed fast means of transport as they were interested in
fast drain of wealth from India. So water transport was ignored and so the development started
very late after independence.
Maximum inland transportation is done in Brahmaputra.
Important institutions are :
(1) Central Inland Water transport Corporation (CIWTC) in 1967 at Kolkata.
(2) Maritime Training Institute in 1981 at Lake Powai, Maharashtra.
(3) Inland Waterways Authority of India in 1986 at Noida.
(4) National Inland Navigation Institute in 2004 at Patna.
Important Points :
(1) Sagarmala is a project for port led development of India having period 2015 to 2035.
(2) Alang in Gujarat is the largest ship recycling centre of the world.
(3) Dredging Corporation Of India Ltd. located at Vishakhapatnam was formed in 1976 and is
responsible for maintenance of required depths of shipping channels at ports and harbors.
Pipelines :
Importance of pipeline transportation:
(1) Cost effective, onetime cost, low maintenance.
(2) Saves time and transportation cost and least wastage.
(3) Assures timely supply of goods.
(4) Least utilization of land.
(5) No social, economical and ecological damage.
(6) It is a tool to reduce the regional imbalances in economic development.
(7) It is approachable where railways and roadways are not possible – backward and remote areas.
(8) Less prone to accidents.
Types of pipelines :
(1) International
(2) National
(3) Inter/intra city (local)