Big picture
India's transport and communication networks connect a vast and diverse country: they carry goods from farms and mines to factories and markets, link people across regions, and bind the economy together. India has one of the largest road and railway networks in the world, along with inland waterways, ports, airways and pipelines.
This chapter describes each mode of transport in India, its classification and key routes, and the communication networks, including India's satellite systems.
Learning goals
Classify roads in India and describe major highway projects.
Describe Indian Railways, its gauges and the Konkan Railway.
Describe national waterways and ports.
Explain air transport and pipelines in India.
Explain personal and mass communication and satellite communication.
Core ideas
1. Road transport
India has one of the world's largest road networks. Roads are cheap to build, provide door-to-door service and are the best mode for short distances.
Sher Shah Suri built the Shahi (Royal) Road to connect his empire from the Indus valley to the Sonar valley in Bengal; in the British period, it was renamed the Grand Trunk (GT) Road, connecting Kolkata and Peshawar.
Classification of roads:
Type | Built and maintained by | Features |
|---|---|---|
National Highways (NH) | Central government (through the National Highways Authority of India) | Connect state capitals, major cities and ports; carry a large share of road traffic though they form a small share of road length |
State Highways | State governments | Join state capitals with district headquarters and other important towns |
District roads | Zila Parishad | Connect district headquarters with other places in the district |
Rural roads | Panchayats and others | Link rural areas and villages; boosted by the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (2000) |
Border roads | Border Roads Organisation (1960) | Built in strategic border areas, especially in the north and north-east; improve accessibility in difficult terrain |
Other roads | Include international highways linking India with neighbouring countries for friendly relations |
Highway development projects:
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), set up in 1988 and operational from 1995, develops and maintains highways.
The Golden Quadrilateral (about 5,846 km) links the four metro cities: Delhi–Mumbai–Chennai–Kolkata.
The North–South Corridor (about 4,076 km) links Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) with Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu).
The East–West Corridor (about 3,640 km) links Silchar (Assam) with Porbandar (Gujarat).
Distribution: road density is high in Kerala and plains states, and low in mountainous, forested and desert regions such as Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
2. Rail transport
The first train ran from Mumbai (Bori Bunder) to Thane in 1853, covering 34 km.
Indian Railways is one of the largest railway networks in the world, organised into zones, and is the main carrier of bulk goods and long-distance passengers.
Gauges:
Gauge | Width between rails |
|---|---|
Broad gauge | 1.676 m |
Metre gauge | 1.000 m |
Narrow gauge | 0.762 m or 0.610 m, mostly in hilly areas |
Project Unigauge is converting metre and narrow gauge to broad gauge to make a uniform network.
Steam engines have been replaced by diesel and electric locomotives; the metro rail has transformed urban transport in Kolkata (the first, 1984), Delhi and other cities.
Konkan Railway:
Constructed in 1998; about 760 km long, from Roha in Maharashtra to Mangaluru in Karnataka.
It is an engineering marvel: it crosses about 146 rivers and streams, has nearly 2,000 bridges and 73 tunnels, and includes Asia's longest tunnel of its time (about 6.5 km).
It is a joint venture of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and the Railways.
3. Water transport
Water transport is the cheapest for bulky goods, fuel-efficient and eco-friendly.
Inland waterways: rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (1986) develops them.
National Waterway | Route | Length |
|---|---|---|
NW 1 | Ganga–Bhagirathi–Hooghly: Prayagraj (Allahabad) to Haldia | about 1,620 km |
NW 2 | Brahmaputra: Sadiya to Dhubri | about 891 km |
NW 3 | West Coast Canal: Kottapuram to Kollam, with the Udyogamandal and Champakara canals (Kerala) | about 205 km |
NW 4 | Specified stretches of the Godavari and Krishna rivers with the Kakinada–Puducherry canals | about 1,078 km |
NW 5 | Specified stretches of the Brahmani river and the Mahanadi delta with the East Coast Canal | about 588 km |
The National Waterways Act, 2016 declared 111 waterways (including the existing five) as national waterways.
Oceanic routes: India has a long coastline of about 7,517 km including islands, with 12 major ports and about 200 minor ports, which handle most of India's international trade by volume.
4. Air transport
The fastest mode, useful for long distances, difficult terrain and perishable or high-value goods.
Air transport in India began in 1911 with the airmail service between Allahabad and Naini (about 10 km).
Air India (international) and Indian Airlines (domestic) were set up after nationalisation in 1953; they were later merged, and Air India was privatised in 2022 (taken over by the Tata group). Pawan Hans provides helicopter services, especially to the north-east and offshore oil platforms.
The Airports Authority of India manages airports.
5. Oil and gas pipelines
Pipelines are the most convenient and efficient way to transport liquids and gases over long distances.
Oil India Limited (OIL) built the first cross-country pipeline from Naharkatiya oilfield to Barauni refinery (via Guwahati), later extended to Kanpur.
Other pipelines: Salaya (Gujarat) to Jalandhar via Viramgam, Mathura, Delhi and Sonipat; Ankaleshwar to Koyali; and the Hazira–Bijaipur–Jagdishpur (HBJ) gas pipeline (about 1,700 km), built by GAIL, connecting Mumbai High and Bassein gas fields with fertiliser, power and industrial plants in western and northern India.
6. Communication networks
Personal communication:
Postal service: India has one of the largest postal networks in the world; services include first-class (cards, envelopes, airlifted) and second-class mail (book packets, registered newspapers, carried by surface).
Telephone services: India's telecommunication network is among the largest; mobile phones and the internet have expanded access rapidly, including in rural areas.
Mass communication:
Radio: broadcasting started in 1923 by the Radio Club of Bombay; it became All India Radio (Akashvani) in 1936 (named Akashvani in 1957).
Television: started in 1959; Doordarshan became a separate entity in 1976; television expanded rapidly after satellite broadcasting.
Newspapers: many dailies and periodicals published in several languages; the largest number are in Hindi.
Films: India produces the largest number of feature films in the world; the Central Board of Film Certification certifies films.
Satellite communication:
Satellites provide a continuous and synoptic view of large areas; useful for weather forecasting, disaster monitoring and resource surveys.
India's satellite systems: INSAT (Indian National Satellite System, from 1983), a multipurpose system for telecommunications, meteorological observation and broadcasting; and IRS (Indian Remote Sensing Satellite System, from 1988, with the launch of IRS-1A from Baikonur in the then USSR), used for resource monitoring and management.
The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad acquires and processes satellite data.
A reliable approach to questions
Classify roads with who builds them, and name the highway corridors with end points.
State the railway gauges and the Konkan Railway's features.
Name national waterways 1–3 with routes.
Describe major pipelines with terminals.
Distinguish INSAT and IRS satellites by purpose.
Connections that matter
Transport and communication (world) explains modes and routes globally.
India: international trade explains ports as gateways.
India: mineral and energy resources explains oil and gas fields linked by pipelines.
Common mistakes
Mixing up the corridors: North–South is Srinagar–Kanyakumari; East–West is Silchar–Porbandar.
Calling broad gauge 1 m wide. Broad gauge is 1.676 m; metre gauge is 1 m.
Placing NW 1 on the Brahmaputra. NW 1 is on the Ganga; NW 2 is on the Brahmaputra.
Saying INSAT is mainly for resource mapping. INSAT is for communication, broadcasting and weather; IRS is for resource monitoring.
Revision checklist
I can classify roads and describe highway projects.
I can describe railways, gauges and the Konkan Railway.
I can describe national waterways and ports.
I can describe air transport and pipelines.
I can explain personal, mass and satellite communication.