CIVIL AVIATION IN INDIA
Overview- India is the 9th largest civil aviation market in the world
- The Indian civil aviation sector handles about 414,000 passengers every month. Annual passenger traffic growth is about 20%
- Civil aviation in India falls under the purview of the Ministry of Civil Aviation
- Civil aviation is regulated under the Aircraft Act 1934 and Aircraft Rules 1937
- The oldest airport in the country is the Nagpur airport
- The oldest airline in India was Tata Airlines, founded in 1932. It was re-named as Air India in 1946
- The first airline service in India was by Tata Airlines in 1932, flying mail from Karachi to Bombay
- The first international air service was by Air India in 1948, between Bombay and London
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
- Headquarters New Delhi
- The DGCA is the governmental body that regulates civil aviation in India
- The DGCA is the nodal agency for implementing the 1944 Chicago Convention on civil aviation. The Chicago Convention established the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), an agency of UN in charge of regulating international air travel
- Its functions include
- Registration of civil aircraft
- Licensing of pilots and air traffic controllers
- Formulation of standards of air worthiness for civil aircraft
- Certification of aerodromes
- Conducting investigations into accidents/incidents involving civil aviation
- Coordination of ICAO matters
- Supervision of flying schools
- Keeping a check on aircraft noise and engine emissions
- Promoting indigenous design and manufacture of aircraft
- Established 1978, headquarters New Delhi
- The BCAS was formed to coordinate, monitor, inspect and train personnel in civil aviation security matters
- The primary function of the BCAS is to establish the standards and measures with respect to civil aviation security at domestic and international airports in the country
Commission on Railway Safety (CRS)
- The erstwhile Railway Inspectorate (formed in 1883) was re-named the Commission on Railway Safety in 1961
- Headquarters Lucknow
- The functions of the CRS include
- Inspect new railways and determine their fitness for public carriage of passengers
- Make periodical and other inspections of railway and rolling stock
- Investigate accidents/incidents related to the Railways
- The Commission on Railway Safety functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation because of the desire to have a railways inspection authority independent of the Railway Board
National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL)
- Established 2007. Headquarters Delhi/Mumbai
- The NACIL was formed as a holding company for the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines
- It is currently the largest airline operator in India
Airports Authority of India (AAI)
- Formed in 1995, headquarters New Delhi
- The AAI was formed by merging the International Airports Authority of India and the National Airports Authority
- The AAI operates and manages 126 airports in India. These include 12 international airports, 89 domestic airports and 26 civil enclaves
- The main functions of the AAI include
- Control and management of Indian airspace
- Development and operation of international and domestic airports and civil enclaves
- Provision of communication, navigational and visual aids for flying (like Radar, ILS etc)
Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA)
- Established 1985, located Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh)
- The main objective of the IGRUA is to improve flight training standard in civil aviation and to provide flight training to selected candidates
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RAILWAYS IN INDIA
Overview- The railway network in India is the fourth largest in the world
- India’s railway network transports over 6 billion passengers and 350 million tonnes of freight annually
- Railways in India traverse the length and breadth of the country, with about 7000 stations and total route length of over 63,000 km. About 28% of the route length has been electrified
Extent of the railway network in India in 1909
- The first railway line in the Indian subcontinent was established in Madras in 1836. The first line was established near Chintadripet Bridge on an experimental basis. In 1837, a 3.5 mile line was commissioned between Red Hills and the stone quarries at St Thomas Mount
- The regular first train in India was operationalised in 1851 for localised hauling of canal construction material in Roorkee
- Two railways companies – the Great Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR) and the East Indian Railway (EIR) were created in 1853 to construct and operate experimental railway lines near Bombay and Calcutta respectively
- The first passenger train service in India was inaugurated between Bombay (Bori Bundar) and Thane in 1853
- In 1923, both the GIPR and the EIR were nationalised
- Upon Independence in 1947, forty two separate railway systems in India were amalgamated into a single unit christened the Indian Railways. The Indian Railways thus became one of the largest railway networks in the world
- Railway zones were established in 1951
- The Indian Railways is the state-owned railway company of India, which owns and operates most of India’s rail transport
- The Indian Railways was formed in 1947 by the amalgamation of 42 disparate railway networks
- The Indian Railways functions under the Ministry of Railways
- The Indian Railways is one of the world’s largest commercial employers with over 1.4 million employees
- The Indian Railways operates both long distance and suburban rail services
- The Indian Railways is divided into 16 zones, which are further subdivided into divisions
- The Kolkata Metro, although owned and operated by the Indian Railways, is part of any zone
- Each of the 16 zones is headed by a General Manager. Divisions are headed by Divisional Railway Managers
- The oldest railway zone is the Southern Railways, established in Apr 1951
Comparison of the different railway gauges used in India. The Standard Gauge, which is used internationally, is not used in India
- The Indian Railways uses four gauges
- Indian Broad Gauge: 1676 mm (5ft 6in). This is the most widely used gauge in India. It is broader than the international Standard Gauge (1435 mm i.e. 4ft 8.5in)
- Meter Gauge: 1000 mm (3ft 3.5in)
- Narrow Gauge: 762 mm (2ft 6in)
- Narrow Gauge: 610 mm (2ft)
- Indian Broad Gauge: 1676 mm (5ft 6in). This is the most widely used gauge in India. It is broader than the international Standard Gauge (1435 mm i.e. 4ft 8.5in)
- Project Unigauge was launched in 1980 to convert all portions of track to broad gauge
- Narrow gauge is presently used on Kalka-Simla Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
- Almost all electrified sections of track use 25,000 V AC traction through overhead catenaries
- Exceptions to this include
- Mumbai section, which uses 1500 V DC traction
- Kolkata Metro which uses 750 V DC, delivered via third rail
- Suburban railways are currently operational in Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Lucknow-Kanpur
- The New Delhi Metro, Kolkata Metro and Chennai MRTS have their own dedicated track
- Suburban trains handling passenger traffic usually use Electric Multiple Units (EMU)
- The oldest underground railway network in India is the Kolkata Metro, commissioned in 1984. The second underground network, the Delhi Metro, started operations in 2002
- There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the Indian Railways
- Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus), Mumbai
- Mountain railways of India
- The Mountain Railways of India consists of three separate railway systems i.e. the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Simla Railway
- Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
- It is a 2ft narrow gauge railway
- Operates between Siliguri and Darjeeling in West Bengal
- Built 1889-1891. Added to UNESCO World Heritage List 1999
- Nilgiri Mountain Railway
The rack and pinion system on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway- Uses a 3ft 3 3/8 in metre gauge
- Connects Mettupalayam with Ooty in Tamil Nadu
- Only railway in India to use rack-and-pinion system
- Has the highest railway gradient in India (average of 4%, at places as high as 8%)
- Added to UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005
- Kalka-Simla Railway
- It is a 2ft 6in narrow gauge railway
- Operates between Kalka in Haryana and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh
- Added to UNESCO World Heritage List 2008
- Konkan Railway
- The Konkan Railway runs along the Konkan coast of India, between Mangalore in Karnataka and Mumbai in Maharashtra. It was opened in 1998
- The Konkan Railway introduced India’s first Roll on Roll off (RORO) freight service in 1999, which allows trucks to be transported on flatbed trailers
- Kashmir Railway
- The Kashmir Railway, also known as Jammu Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link (JUSBRL) is intended to connect to Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country by means of railways
- Currently under construction, the project is expected to complete in 2017. The first phase of the project, between Jammu and Udhampur was completed in 2005
- When completed the Kashmir Railway will connect Jammu with Baramulla, a distance of 345 km
- The entire project has been divided in four legs or phases
- Leg 0: Jammu-Udhampur (53 km). Completed Apr 2005
- Leg 1: Udhampur-Katra (25 km). Expected completion 2012
- Leg 2: Katra-Qazigund (148 km). Expected completion 2017
- Leg 3: Qazigund-Baramulla (119 km). Completed Oct 2009
- The route crosses major earthquake zones, and is subject to extreme temperatures and inhospitable terrain
- The Kashmir Railway has the highest railway bridge in India: 77m over the Tawi river in the Jammu-Udhampur section.
- When the Kashmir Railway is completed, the Chenab Bridge will be the highest railway structure in the world (359 m above river bed), making it taller than the Eiffel Tower
Map of the Kashmir Railway. Leg 0 (black line) and Leg 3 (red line) are currently operational. Leg 1 (blue line) and Leg 2 (green line) are under construction
- The
Palace on Wheels is India’s first luxury train. It was launched in 1962. It travels from New Delhi to Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur and Agra - The Fairy Queen, built in 1855, is the world’s oldest steam engine still in active use. It currently operates a special tourist service from New Delhi to Alwar in Rajasthan, to the Sariska Tiger Reserve
- The Lifeline Express, commissioned in 1991, is India’s mobile hospital train run by the Impact India Foundation, in collaboration with the Indian Railways and the Ministry of Health
- The Himsagar Express, between Kanyakumari and Jammu Tawi, has the longest run in terms of distance and time in the Indian Railways. It covers a distance of 3745 km about 75 hours
- The Bhopal Shatabdi Express is the fastest train in India, having a maximum operating speed of 150 kmph
- The Kharagpur Railways Station has the world’s longest railway platform (1072 m)
- India has rail links with Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh
- India-Pakistan rail links
- Samjhauta Express: Amritsar (Punjab, India) – Lahore (Punjab, Pakistan)
- Thar Express:
Munabao (Rajasthan, India) – Khokhrapar (Sindh, Pakistan)
- Samjhauta Express: Amritsar (Punjab, India) – Lahore (Punjab, Pakistan)
- India-Bangladesh rail links
- There are two freight links between India and Bangladesh. However there is no passenger rail link
- Mahishasan (West Bengal, India) – Shahbazpur (Bangladesh)
- Radhikapur (West Bengal, India) – Birol (Bangladesh)
- There are two freight links between India and Bangladesh. However there is no passenger rail link
- India-Nepal rail links
- Raxaul (Bihar, India) – Sirsiya (Parsa, Nepal)
- Jaynagar (Bihar, India) – Khajuri (Dhanusa, Nepal)
- Although the Indian Railways enjoys a near monopoly on rail transport in India, a few private railways do exist
- Private railways are also owned and operated by companies for their own purposes such as harbours, ports, steel mills, mines etc
- Private railways in India are principally for freight and not for passenger transport
- The Bombay Port Trust, Madras Port Trust and Calcutta Port Trust all run their own broad gauge lines
- The Tatas operate furnicular railways (inclined railways) at Bhira and Bhivpuri Road in Maharashtra
- The Kutch Railway Company, a joint venture between the Gujarat government and private companies is in the process of building a Gandhidham-Palanpur railway line
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ROAD NETWORKS IN INDIA
Overview- With over 3.3 million km of roadways, India has the third largest road network in the world (behind USA and China)
- India has about 65,500 km of National Highways, 130,000 km of State Highways and 4.67 million km of District Roads and 2.65 million km of rural and urban roads
- India has the highest density of highways in the world (0.66 km of highway per sq km of territory)
- India’s road networks carry nearly 65% of freight traffic and 85% of passenger traffic in the country
- Traffic on roads is growing at about 7-10% per annum while number of vehicles is growing about 12% per annum
- The Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) is one of the oldest and longest roads in the Indian subcontinent
- It runs from Sonargaon (near Dhaka) in Bangladesh to Peshawar in Pakistan, covering a distance of 2500 km
- In India, it runs through Kolkata, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Delhi, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar
- The stretch between Kolkata and Kanpur is designated NH-2, the stretch between Kanpur and Delhi NH-91, and between Delhi and Wagah NH-1
- The Grand Trunk road was commissioned by Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century to connect Agra with Sasaram (Bihar). It was later expanded by the British to run from Bengal to Peshawar
- The Grand Trunk Road is now part of the Golden Quadrilateral project
TYPES OF ROAD NETWORKS
National Highways- The National Highways are the primary long distance roadways in India
- There is about 65,500 km of National Highways in India, of which about 200 km have been designated as Expressways
- The National Highways constitute only 2% of total roadways in India, but carry about 40% of the total traffic
- The longest National Highway in NH-7, which runs from Varanasi to Kanyakumari (about 2369 km). The shortest National Highway is NH-47A, which runs from Ernakulam to Kochi Port (about 6 km)
- The Leh-Manali Highway is the highest highway in the world (average elevation of about 5000 m). It connects Leh in Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir) with Manali in Himachal Pradesh. The Highway passes through some of the highest mountain passes in the world including Rohtang La, Baralacha La, Lachulung La and Tagland La
- National Expressways make up about 200 km of the National Highways network
- The major difference between Highways and Expressways in India, is that the latter have controlled access (i.e. entry and exit only at certain specific locations)
| Expressway | Connected cities | Length | Notes |
| Western Expressway | Mumbai suburbs | 25 km | |
| Eastern Expressway | Mumbai-Thane | 23 km | |
| Sion Panvel Expressway | Mumbai suburbs | 25 km | 12 lanes expressway (6 in each direction) |
| National Expressway 1 | Ahmadabad-Vadodara | 90 km | First Expressway in India Part of Golden Quadrilateral |
| Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway | Delhi-Gurgaon | 28 km | Part of Golden Quadrilateral |
| Mumbai-Pune Expressway | Mumbai-Pune | 93 km | Part of Golden Quadrilateral India’s first 6 lane, concrete, high-speed, tolled, access controlled Expressway |
- State Highways refers to the highways laid and maintained by the state governments
- These State Highways usually connect important cities, towns, district headquarters within the State, and with important places in other states
- They also link important cities of a state with the National Highways and State Highways of neighbouring states
- There is about 130,000 km of State Highways in India
- State Highways are designated SH
- District Roads are important roads within a district connecting areas of production with their markets
- They also connect the towns with each other and with State and National Highways
- District Roads also connect Taluka headquarters with District headquarters in various regions of a state
- There is about 4.7 million km of District Roads in India
- District Roads are administered by the state governments
- Rural and urban roads (especially rural) form the largest chunk of road networks in India: about 2.65 million km
- Rural roads are essential for transporting agricultural produce and products of small scale industries to their markets in villages, towns and cities
- In order to facilitate the development of rural roads, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) has been established
- Rural and urban roads are administered by the concerned local governments (Panchayats, Municipal Corporations etc)
POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES
National Highways Development Project (NHDP)- The NHDP is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major highways in India to a higher standard
- The project was commissioned in 1998
- The NHDP builds on existing National Highways and improves them to better standards
- The NHDP is being implemented in a phased manner consisting of seven phases.
- The NHDP consists of two important components
- Golden Quadrilateral: This is Phase I of the NHDP. The Golden Quadrilateral connects New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. Total length is 5846 km. It was completed (to a large extent) in 2003
- North-South East-West Corridor: This is Phase II of the NHDP. The NSEW Corridor connects Srinagar with Kanyakumari and Silchar (Assam) with Porbandar (Gujarat). Total length is 7300 km. It is currently under construction. The North-South and East-West corridors meet at Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh)
- The NHDP is implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
- Programme approved in 2009
- Implemented by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
- The programme aims to provide connectivity to all state capitals and district headquarters in the North East region
- The programme includes upgrading of other stretches of National Highways and state highways considered critical for economic development
- Launched 2000
- Implemented by Ministry of Rural Development
- The PMGSY is a nationwide plan to provide good all-weather road connectivity to unconnected villages
- The goal of the PMGSY is to provide connectivity to all villages
- With a population of at least 1000 by 2003
- With a population of at least 500 by 2007
- In hill states, tribal and desert area villages with population of at least 500 by 2003
- In hill states, tribal and desert area villages with population of at least 250 by 2007
- In order to monitor the implementation of the programme, the Centre for Development of Advance Computing (CDAC) developed the Online Management, Monitoring and Accounting Scheme (OMMAS), which has grown to become one of the largest computer database in India
- Established in 1998
- The primary objective of the Fund is to provide financing to meet the challenges of accelerated funding requirement of road development projects
- To support the Fund, an additional duty of Rs 0.50 per litre was levied on petrol and high speed diesel
- Of this revenue, 50% goes for development of rural roads, and the other 50% for development of National Highways and other roads
GOVERNMENTAL BODIES
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)- Established 1988, headquarters New Delhi
- The NHAI is responsible for the development, maintenance and management of National Highways in India
- The NHAI is currently implementing the NHDP
- Functions under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
- Established 1983, located Noida
- The NITHE is the apex training institute for training highways and bridge engineers in the country
- The objectives of the NITHE include
- Impart training to engineers
- Assist other organisations in developing their own training institutions
- Promote cooperation and knowledge exchange in the field of highway engineering between engineers in India and abroad
- The NITHE also conducts training programmes for engineers from other Central and state government departments, PSUs and private enterprises
- Functions under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
- Established 1948, location New Delhi
- Functions under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science of Technology
- The primary objective of the Institute is to provide research, technical and consultancy services in the areas of highways engineering, bridge engineering, geotechnical engineering, and traffic and transport planning
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