Transport – Lifelines of National Economy

There are three elements of our environment which can help us in moving products and services from one place to another on the planet. These elements are land, water and air. Movement of products and services from one place to another is helped by moving them through these elements. This is said to be a very important part of logistics system in a business setup. Transportation of goods and services can be done via land transport, water transport and air transport.

1. Roadways

India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 54.7 lakh km. The growing importance of road transport over rail transport is mentioned below:

• The construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway lines.
• Roads can cover more geographically harder locations that cannot be done by the railways.
• Roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and can be easily built-in traverse mountains such as the Himalayas.
• Road transport is economical.
• It also provides door-to-door service
• Road transport provides links between railway stations, air and seaports.

2. Railways:

Railways are the principal mode of transportation for carrying huge loads and bulky goods for long and short distances in India. Railways have become more important in India’s economy. However, rail transport suffers from certain problems as well, which are mentioned below:

• Construction of bridges is required across rivers’ wide beds for lying down the railway lines.
• In the hilly terrains of the peninsular region, railway tracks are laid through low hills, gaps or tunnels.
• The Himalayan mountainous regions are also unfavourable for the construction of railway lines due to the highest elevation points in the surface, sparse population and lack of economic opportunities.
• It is difficult to lay railway lines on sandy plains.

3. Pipelines:

Pipeline network uses pipes, usually underground, to transport and distribute fluids. These are used to transport water, crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas, fertilizer factories and big thermal power plants. Solids can also be transported through a pipeline when converted into slurry. There are 3 important networks of pipeline transportation in the country.

• From oil field in upper Assam to Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)
• From Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar in Punjab
• From Hazira in Gujarat to Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh

4. Waterways:

Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. They are most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods. It is a fuel-efficient and environment-friendly mode of transport.

The National Waterways in India are:

• The Ganga river between Allahabad and Haldia (1620 km).
• The Brahmaputra river between Sadiya and Dhubri (891 km).
• The West-Coast Canal in Kerala (Kottapurma-Kollam, Udyogamandal and Champakkara canals- 205 km).
• Specified stretches of Godavari and Krishna rivers along with Kakinada Puducherry stretch ofcanals (1078 km).
• Specified stretches of river Brahmani along with Matai river, delta channels of Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers and East Coast Canal (588 km).
• Inland waterways in India are Mandavi, Zuari and Cumberjua, Sunderbans, Barak and backwaters of Kerala through which transportation takes place.