TRANSPORTATION
Roads:
India has a network of National Highways connecting all the major cities and state capitals, forming the economic backbone of the country. As of 2005, India has a total of 66,590 km of National Highways, of which 200 km 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. However congestion and bureaucratic delays enroute ensure that trucking goods from Gurgaon to the port in Mumbai can take up to 10 days.
As per the National Highways Authority of India, about 65% of freight and 80% passenger traffic is carried by the roads. The National Highways carry about 40% of total road traffic, though only about 2% of the road network is covered by these roads. Average growth of the number of vehicles has been around 10.16% per annum over recent years. Highways have facilitated development along the route and many towns have sprung up along major highways.
All national highways are metalled, but very few are constructed of concrete, the most notable being the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. In recent years construction has commenced on a nationwide system of multi-lane highways, including the Golden Quadrilateral and North-South and East-West Corridors which link the largest cities in India. In 2000, around 40% of villages in India lacked access to all-weather roads and remained isolated during the monsoon season. To improve rural connectivity, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (Prime Minister's Rural Road Program), a project funded by the Central Government with the help of World Bank, was launched in 2000 to build all-weather roads to connect all habitations with a population of 500 or above (250 or above for hilly areas).
As per 1999 estimates, the total road length in India is 3,319,644 km (2,062,731 mi); out of which paved roads cover 1,517,077 km (942,668 mi) and unpaved roads cover 1,802,567 km (1,120,063 mi). The Indian road network of 3,300,000 km (2,050,000 mi) is second largest in the world and consists of:
- Expressways 200 km (120 mi)
- National Highways 66,590 km (41,380 mi)
- State Highways 131,899 km (81,958 mi)
- Major District Roads 467,763 km (290,654 mi)
- Rural and Other Roads 2,650,000 km (1,650,000 mi)
- Total Length 3,300,000 km (2,050,000 mi) (Approx)
Railroads:
Rail services in India, first introduced in 1853, are provided by the state-run Indian Railways, under the supervision of the Ministry of Railways. 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. By 1947, the year of India's independence, there were forty-two rail systems. In 1951 the systems were nationalised as one unit, becoming one of the largest networks in the world. Indian Railways is divided into sixteen zones, which are further sub-divided into sixty seven divisions, each having a divisional headquarters. The rail network traverses through the length and breadth of the country, covering 6,909 stations over a total route length of around 63,465 km (39,435 mi). It is the world's largest commercial or utility employer, with more than 1.4 million employees. As to rolling stock, IR owns over 200,000 (freight) wagons, 50,000 coaches and 8,000 locomotives. It also owns locomotive and coach production facilities. It operates both long distance and suburban rail systems on a multi-gauge network of broad, metre and narrow gauges, and is in the process of converting all the metre gauge (14,406 km (8,951 mi)) into broad gauge in a project called Project Unigauge.
Kashmir Railway is the second highest in the world and the first phase was completed in 2009. Proposals have been made to introduce high-speed rail in India. A proposal has been made to build a Maglev track within the city of Mumbai, connecting it to the National Capital of New Delhi, as well as other parts of Maharashtra in the form of the Mumbai Maglev. Another proposal has been made to introduce a High-speed rail in India similar to that of the Shinkansen of Japan.
In 1999, the Konkan Railway Corporation introduced the Roll On Roll Off (RORO) service, a unique road-rail synergy system, on the section between Kolad in Maharashtra and Verna in Goa, which was extended up to Surathkal in Karnataka in 2004. The RORO service, the first of its kind in India, allowed trucks to be transported on flatbed trailers. It was highly popular, carrying about 1,10,000 trucks and bringing in about Rs.74 crore worth of earnings to the corporation till 2007.
International
Rail links between India and neighbouring countries are not well-developed. Two trains operate to Pakistan - the Samjhauta Express between Delhi and Lahore, and the Thar Express between Jodhpur and Karachi. Bangladesh is connected by a bi-weekly train, the Maitree Express. Nominal rail links to Nepal exist — passenger services between Jaynagar and Bijalpura, and freight services between Raxaul and Birganj. No rail link exists at present with Myanmar, but a railway line is to be built through from Jiribam (in Manipur) to Tamu through Imphal and Moreh. The construction of this missing link, as per the feasibility study conducted by the Ministry of External Affairs through RITES Ltd, is estimated to cost Rs 2,941 crore. Rail links with Bhutan have been proposed. No rail link exists with either China or Sri Lanka.
Aviation:
Rapid economic growth in India has made air travel more affordable. Air India, India's flag carrier, presently operates a fleet of 147 aircraft and plays a major role in connecting India with the rest of the world. Several other foreign airlines connect Indian cities with other major cities across the globe.
Kingfisher Airlines, Air India and Jet Airways are the most popular brands in domestic air travel in order of their market share. These airlines connect more than 80 cities across India and also operate overseas routes after the liberalisation of Indian aviation. However, a large section of country's air transport system remains untapped, even though the Mumbai-Delhi air corridor was ranked 6th by the Official Airline Guide in 2007 among the world's busiest routes.
India's vast unutilised air transport network has attracted several investments in the Indian air industry in the past few years. More than half a dozen low-cost carriers entered the Indian market in 2004-05. Major new entrants include Air Deccan, Kingfisher Airlines, SpiceJet, GoAir, Paramount Airways and IndiGo Airlines. To meet India's rapidly increasing demand for air travel, Air India recently placed orders for more than 68 jets from Boeing for 7.5 billion USD while Indian placed orders for 43 jets from Airbus for 2.5 billion USD. Jet Airways, India's largest private carrier, has invested millions of dollars to increase its fleet, but this has been put on hold due to the recent economic slowdown. This trend is not restricted to traditional air carriers in India. IndiGo Airlines entered the limelight when it announced orders for 100 Airbus A320s worth 6 billion USD during the Paris Air Show; the highest by any Asian domestic carrier. Kingfisher Airlines became the first Indian air carrier in June 15, 2005 to order Airbus A380 aircraft. The total deal with Airbus was worth 3 billion USD.
Airports
There are more than 335 (2008 est.) civilian airports in India - 250 with paved runways and 96 with unpaved runways and more than 20 international airports in the Republic of India. The Indira Gandhi International Airport and the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport handle more than half of the air traffic in South Asia.