Transcript
Transport in India
Transport in the Republic of India is an important part of the nation's economy. Since theeconomic
liberalisation of the 1990s, development of infrastructure within the country has progressed at a rapid
pace, and today there is a wide variety of modes of transport by land, water and air. owever, the
relatively low !"# of India has meant that access to these modes of transport has not been uniform.
$otor vehicle penetration is low with only 1% million cars on thenation's roads.
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In addition, only around
10( of Indian households own a motorcycle.
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*t the same time, the *utomobile industry in India is
rapidly growing with an annual production of over ).+ million vehicles
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and vehicle volume is e,pected
to rise greatly in the future.
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In the interim however, public transport still remains the primary mode of
transport for most of the population, and India's public transport systems are among the most heavily
utilised in the world.
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India's rail networ/ is the longest and fourth most heavily used system in the world
transporting over + billionpassengers and over %.0 million tons of freight annually.
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"espite ongoing improvements in the sector, several aspects of the transport sector are still riddled with
problems due to outdated infrastructure, lac/ of investment, corruption and a burgeoning population. The
demand for transport infrastructure and services has been rising by around 10( a year
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with the current
infrastructure being unable to meet these growing demands. *ccording to recent estimates by !oldman
Sachs, India will need to spend 01.1 Trillion 2S" on infrastructure pro3ects over the ne,t decade to boost
economic growth of which 0.00 4illion 2S" is budgeted to be spent during the eleventh 5ive6year plan.
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Traditional means
Walking
In ancient times, people often covered long distances on foot. 5or instance, *di San/aracharyatraveled all
over India.
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8al/ing still constitutes an important mode of transport in urban areas.
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In the city
of $umbai, to further improve the transit conditions for pedestrians, the $umbai $etropolitan 9egion
"evelopment *uthority, has commenced the construction of more than .0s/ywal/s,
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as part of
the $umbai S/ywal/ pro3ect.
Palanquin
#alan:uins also /nown as palkis, were one of the lu,urious methods used by the rich and noblemen for
travelling. This was primarily used in the olden days to carry a deity or idol of a god, and many temples
have sculptures of god being carried in a palki. ;ater on, it was primarily used by
bi/e> generally refers tomotorcycle,
and >cycle> refers to bicycle.
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#une was the first city in India to have dedicated lanes for cycles.
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It was built for the )007
?ommonwealth @outh !ames.
owever, recent developments in "elhi suggest that bicycle riding is fast becoming popular in the metro
cities of India. The "elhi government has decided to construct separate bicycle lanes on all ma3or roads to
combat pollution and ease traffic congestion.
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Hand-pulled rickshaw
This type of transport is still available in Aol/ata wherein a person pulls the ric/shaw by hand.
The!overnment of 8est 4engal proposed a ban on these ric/shaws in )00. describing them as
>inhuman>.
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Though a bill aiming to address this issue, termed as '?alcutta ac/ney ?arriage 4ill', was
passed by the 8est 4engal *ssembly in )00+, it has not been implemented yet.
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The !overnment of
8est 4engal is wor/ing on an amendment of this bill to avoid the loopholes that got e,posed when the
and6pulled 9ic/shaw Bwner's *ssociation filed a petition against the bill.
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Cycle rickshaw
?ycle ric/shaws were introduced into India in the 19-0s.
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They are bigger than a tricycle where two
people sit on an elevated seat at the bac/ and a person pedals from the front. In the late )000s, they were
banned in several cities for causing traffic congestion.
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?ycle ric/shaws have been a feature
of "elhi streets since Indian independence in 19-1, providing the cheapest way around the capital.
The "elhi #olice recently submitted an affidavit against plying of cycle ric/shaws to ease traffic
congestion in the city but it was dismissed by the "elhi igh court.
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In addition, environmentalists have
supported the retention of cycle ric/shaws as a non6polluting and ine,pensive mode of transport.
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Tras
The advent of the 4ritish saw trams being introduced in many cities including $umbai and Aol/ata. They
are still in use in Aol/ata and provide an emission6free means of transport. The nationaliCed ?alcutta
Tramways ?ompany is in the process of upgrading the e,isting tramway networ/ at a cost of 9s. )-0
million.
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;ocal transport
#ublic transport is the predominant mode of motorised local travel in cities.
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This is predominantly by
road, since commuter rail services are available only in the fourmetropolitan cities
of $umbai, "elhi, ?hennai, and Aol/ata, while dedicated city bus services are /nown to operate in at
least 11 cities with a population of over one million.
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Intermediate public transport modes li/e tempos
and cycle ric/shaws assume importance in medium siCe cities.
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owever, the share of buses is negligible
in most Indian cities as compared to personaliCed vehicles, and two6wheelers and cars account for more
than 70 percent of the vehicle population in most large cities.
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Traffic in Indian cities generally moves slowly, where traffic 3ams and accidents are very common.
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India has very poor records on road safelyDaround 90,000 people die from road accidents every year.
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* 9eader's "igest study of traffic congestion in *sian cities ran/ed several Indian cities within the Top
Ten for worst traffic.
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Public transport
Buses
4uses ta/e up over 90( of public transport in Indian cities,
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and serve as a cheap and convenient mode
of transport for all classes of society. Services are mostly run by state government owned transport
corporations.
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owever, after the economic liberalisation, many state transport corporations have
introduced various facilities li/e low6floor buses for the disabled and air6conditioned buses to attract
private car owners to help decongest roads.
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4engaluru was the first city in India to introduce =olvo
419;< intra6city buses in India in Eanuary )00+.
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Few initiatives li/e 4us 9apid Transit G49TH systems and air conditioned buses have been ta/en by the
various state government to improve the bus public transport systems in cities. 4us 9apid Transit systems
already e,ist in #une, "elhi and *hmedabad with new ones coming up
in =isha/hapatnam andyderabad. igh ?apacity buses can be found in cities
li/e $umbai, 4engaluru, Fagpur and?hennai. 4engaluru is the first Indian city to have an air6
conditioned bus stop, located near?ubbon #ar/. It was built by *irtel.
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The city
of ?hennai houses *sia's largest bus terminus, the?hennai $ofussil 4us Terminus.
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In )009,
the !overnment of Aarnata/a and the 4angalore $etropolitan Transport ?orporation flagged off a pro6
poor bus service called the *tal Sarige. The service aims to provide low6cost connectivity to the
economically bac/ward sections of the society to the nearest ma3or bus station.
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!uto Rickshaws
*n auto ric/shaw is a three wheeler vehicle for hire that has no doors and is generally characterised by a
small cabin for the driver in the front and a seat for passengers in the rear.
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!enerally it is painted in
yellow, green or blac/ colour and has a blac/, yellow or green canopy on the top, but designs vary
considerably from place to place.
In $umbai and other metropolitan cities, 'autos' or 'ric/s' as they are popularly /nown have regulated
metered fares. * recent law prohibits auto ric/shaw drivers from charging more than the specified fare, or
charging night6fare before midnight, and also prohibits the driver from refusing to go to a particular
location. $umbai is also the only city which prohibits these vehicles from entering a certain part of the
city, in this case being South $umbai.
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In ?hennai, it is common to see autoric/shaw drivers demand
more than the specified fare and refuse to use fare meter
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*irports and railway stations at many cities such as 4engaluru, and ubballi6"harwad provide a facility
of prepaid auto booths, where the passenger pays a fi,ed fare as set by the authorities for various
locations.
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Ta"i
$ost of the traditional ta,icabs in India are either #remier #admini or industan *mbassadorcars.
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In
recent years, cars such as ?hevrolet Tavera, $aruti in6ta,i> magaCine, titled $um4aee,
which will be issued to ta,is which are part of the $umbai Ta,imen's 2nion. The magaCine is set to debut
on the 1% Euly )009.
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Rail
The present suburban railway services in India are e,tremely limited and are operational only
in$umbai, Aol/ata, ?hennai and "elhi.
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The $umbai Suburban 9ailway which began services in
$umbai in 17+1, transports +.% million passengers daily and has the highest passenger density in the
world.
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The first rapid transit system in India, the Aol/ata Suburban 9ailway, was established in Aol/ata in 17.-.
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Its first service ran between owrah and ooghly covering a distance of %7.+ /m G)- miH. The"elhi
$etro followed in )00) and has carried over a billion commuters in seven years since its inauguration.
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*part from these, Aol/ata has acircular rail line and ?hennai has an elevated rail transit called $9TS.
Aol/ata was the first city in India to possess a subterreanean rapid transport system, the Kolkata Metro,
whose operations commenced in 197-.
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9apid transit systems are also under construction
in yderabad, 4engaluru, ?hennai, *hmedabad and $umbai.
9apid transit systems have been proposed in Thane,
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#une,
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Aanpur,
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;uc/now,
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*mritsar
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and Aochi.
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$umbai will soon be one of the two cities in India to have
a monorail networ/, which is presently under construction.
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There are also monorail systems being
planned in Aol/ata and in "elhi.
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The Aon/an 9ailway ?orporation had patented a suspended monorail
system called the S/ybus $etro in$argao,
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but this is yet to be implemented anywhere on a commercial
scale following an accident in )00-.
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* two6trac/ elevated corridorhas been proposed above the
e,isting 8estern 9ailway line between the stations of ?hurchgate and =irar in $umbai for air6
conditioned<$2s.
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Two-wheelers
$otorised two6wheelers li/e scooters, small capacity motorcycles and mopeds are very popular as a mode
of transport due to their fuel efficiency and ease of use in congested traffic. The number of two6wheelers
sold is several times that of cars. There were -.1. crore G-1.. millionH powered two wheelers in India in
)00% compared with 3ust 7+ la/h G7.+ millionH cars.
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ero onda, onda,T=S $otors and 4a3a3
*uto are the largest two6wheeler companies in terms of mar/et6share.
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9oyal