The Characteristics of Main Modes of Transport in India and Australia - Assignment Example

The Characteristics of Main Modes of Transport in India and Australia Abstract This paper attempts to highlight the characteristics of main modes of transport in India and Australia, and investigates to the reason behind the difference in transport modes. Several aspects has considered for the comparison between these countries such as local transport system, public transport, and long distance transport. The main conclusion is that the geographical, historical, population and industrial factors influenced the development of transport modes in India and Australia. Furthermore, the status of India as a developing nation and Australia as a developed nation helped to develop their own modes of transportation. The development of transport modes in different nations The transport modes help a nation to attain its people and freight to achieve utmost mobility. Nowadays, most transport systems are capable to handle both freight and passenger traffic. Here, the attempt is to compare the main transport modes of India, a developing country in Asia; and Australia, a developed country and a diverse continent by itself. Besides, the essay attempts to investigate and to explain the reason behind the difference in development of transport modes in these countries. Muehlich & Hamachera reflects that: “global passenger and freight transportation activities, consumption levels of fuels used for transportation purposes” (2006) the difference in transport mode in different countries is because of the relation with passenger and freight activities and the difference in fuel consumption level. Thesis statement: Comparison between the transport modes of India and Australia, and investigation of the reason behind the difference of transport modes. Transport modes in India In India, transport modes play a significant role in economical development and cater the needs of above 1.1 billion people. The transport infrastructure in the South Eastern and South Western parts of the country is far better than other parts. The road network is the backbone/lifeline of the country. World Bank Independent Evaluation Group reflects that: “Since 2000, transport demand has shifted among transport modes, mainly to the advantage of road transport” (World Bank Independent Evaluation Group 2007) the year 2000 shows a tremendous shift in transport demand in India. For instance, in the year 1997, revenue from the road network consists of 4.4 percent of GDP. But the people who live in remote villages gets less access to all-weather roads and they become isolated from the other parts of the country in monsoon seasons. The rail network is the longest and 4th heavily used system in the world. The recent economic boom resulted in the growth of international trade and commerce and it facilitated the development of ports in India. The transport modes of India can be divided into local transport system, public transport, and long distance transport. In India more importance is given to road transport in local transport system. Within this system, road transport is more popular in rural and remote areas of the country. But the metros in India show a different attitude because suburban rail system dominates here. Moreover, the transport systems in metros are highly developed and are connected with nearest towns and cities by a network of rail or road. E.g.: Mumbai and Delhi. The vast road network helps the farmers in remote villages to transport their agriculture products to the nearest town or to cities. The highways and express ways which are constructed in recent years are best and help to connect the whole country. The people depend upon rail and road network and almost all vehicles are used for public transport in India. The buses are very popular and are encouraged by the government. Moreover, the government is the chief player in public transport. In almost all states in India, there is government owned bus transport corporations for the welfare of the people. In metros like Mumbai, Delhi Kolkata and Chennai, suburban railways and mass Rapid Transit systems are common. Hargroves & Smith makes clear that: “The new Delhi metro system has also been a resounding success” (Hargroves & Smith 2005, p.381) in India, the metro system of New Delhi caters the needs of thousands and is a successful project. As the population of India is high and ever increasing, people depend upon all modes for long distance transport. So, it is not a surprising fact that the railway network in India is one of the largest and longest in the world. But, the road transport is equally important because it carries a lion’s share of passenger traffic in India. Moreover, the network of national and state highways connects the major cities with state capitals. E.g.: Mumbai-Pune Express way. But Singh reflects that: “Urban areas in India, which include a wide range of megacities, cities, and towns, are not all that fortunate in terms of intercity transportation.” (2005, p. 80). The urban areas of India fail to fulfill the intercity transport needs of the population and it affect the development process. The ports and harbors play the central role in foreign trade. The ports in India are considered as the gateway of trade and commerce and much importance is given to the development of major and minor ports in India. The extensive network of inland navigation is underutilized in India and seeks further development in future. The booming economy in India resulted in the construction and development of international and domestic aviation. Nowadays, air travel is becoming more affordable and common in India. Air India is the government controlled aviation group which connects more than 80 cities across the country. But the cheapest and most popular mode of transport in India is road transport. Other modes of transport like waterways and aviation is underutilized and awaiting much attention in future. Transport modes in Australia Australia, a developed nation and a continent, consists of an advanced form of transport system. The transport system is an important part of the economic background of Australia. As the farthest continent with human inhabitation, innovative transport modes are important to the nation. Moreover, low concentration of population and long distances among the distribution of population provide more importance to innovative transport modes. There are three main modes of transport in Australia. They are rail, road and water. Among them, the most important is land transport. Within land transport, private vehicles play an important role. But the principal mode of transport in Australia is its public transport system. Another important mode is rail transport, which is basically used for transporting goods across the nation. The aviation sector helps the nation to get connected with rest of the world. It helps the people to cover long distances quickly and to transport small volumes of freight. In Australia, sea transport is mainly used for trade and commercial purposes. The domestic sea transport in Australia helps the long distance movement of bulk commodities. Aviation sector and sea transport helps to connect with other nations and promote trade relations. The land transportation through rail and road helps to meet domestic needs. Moreover, the main modes of transport system in Australia can be divided into three namely, local transport system, public transport, and long distance transport. In Australia, the local transport system consists of road and rail network. The city and state rail services are owned and controlled by both the government and private agencies. The most preferred transport system in Australia is local bus transport. The local train services are with extensive coverage across Australia. For instance, the Metro Light Rail &Mono Rail in Sydney and the V/Line rail & coach services in the state of Victoria are major rail projects. The rate of vehicle ownership in Australia is high and most of the people own cars. For instance, in the year 2003, one of every Australian citizen owns a motorcar. Road and rail are the important modes of public transport system in Australia. Road transportation is closely connected to Australian economy and it plays a vital role in industrialization. The lion’s share of resource consumption in transport sector goes to infrastructure development in road transport. The Australian government is of keen interest in infrastructure development for road transportation. The road per capita of Australia is more that Europe and Asia. The urban train services in Australia serve the need of mass transport. The people use train services in urban areas like bus and it connects the central business districts. In Australia, all the three modes of transport are in use for long distance transport. The journal article ‘Australia country profile’, by United Nations makes clear that: “The Federal Government manages Australia’s contribution to, and participation in, international agreements and organizations” (United Nations 2002, p.13) the federal government of Australia shows keen interest to keep in touch with international organizations related to transportation. The sparse population and the vastness of the continent provide much importance to all modes of transport. The roads are multipurpose for travelling and goods freight transportation and are widely available to all type of uses. The rail service is primarily used for commercial purposes and connects the 334 districts in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Queens land and Victoria. Moreover, the Queensland Railway accomplishes transport facilities for state and interstate services. Long distance transportation deals with other services like carrying freight, bulk commodities like coal and mineral oars. Sea and air transport are other important transport modes in Australia. The aviation sector in Australia shows development and it helps the nation to connect with rest of the world. Sea transport plays an important role in trade and commerce. Moreover, it helps Australia to have trade relation with other countries. Comparison between transport modes of India and Australia The comparison between the transport modes of India and Australia reveals the difference between the development of transportation in a developing nation and developed nation. Here are some assumptions derived from the comparison. In India, road network is the most important mode of transport but the roads are still congested and of poor quality. But the roads in metros are better and are similar to developed countries. The local roads in rural areas are not sufficient for smooth transportation of passengers and freight. But in Australia, the standard of the road network is high and the government shows keen interest to implement innovative projects for the development of road network. Laird points out that: “One reason for the domination of non-urban transport by cars and other passenger vehicles in Australia is that the proportion passenger vehicles has grown” (Laird 2001, p. 25) the non-urban transport in Australia is showing tremendous growth and it reflects in the growth of passenger vehicles. The highway system in Australia is highly developed. The highway system in Australia is divided into federal highways, state highways, and local roads. The construction of road tunnels helps to get relieved from traffic congestion in Metros like Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. The rail network in India is facing the problem of capacity constraints. As the government is interested in passenger services, the freight transport suffer high tariff comparatively higher than any other country. The passenger service in Indian trains is comparatively lower than developed countries. In Australia, rail transport is primarily used for freight movement and it helps the economical development. In the first phase of rail services, the private companies dominated but now the government railways is dominating the rail transport sector. As mentioned in the article ‘Train sets bound for Australia’ from Asia Pacific Rail: “In Melbourne, the Connex network stretches across six passenger lines in Melbourne's eastern and north-eastern suburbs” (Asia Pacific Rail 2002) in the city of Melbourne in Australia, the Connex rail network connects the metro with its nearest suburbs. In India, the ports and harbors are congested and inefficient to fulfill the needs of the passengers and hinder freight transportation process. But there are some ports with international standards like Kolkata, Visakpatanam, Chennai, Kochi, and Mumbai. The economic boom in India resulted in some positive attitude towards the development of ports and harbors. In Australia, ports and harbors are important because the only way to connect with the rest of the world is through air or water. Burley makes clear that: “It is indented by a number of safe natural harbours and by other inlets which have facilitated the construction of harbours and docks.” (Burley 1968, p.187) the vast coastline in Australia was helpful for the construction of natural harbors and docks and to attain supremacy in trade and commerce. So, the Australian government shows keen interest for the development of ports and harbors. For instance, in the year 2000-2001, more than 47 million tones of domestic freight were moved through sea. Besides, the domestic sea transport caters the needs of long distance movement of bulk commodities. In India, the air transport sector shows the growth over 15 percent a year. But, infrastructure development for air transport is insufficient and is in need of innovative measures to meet the needs of the huge population. The main airports in India like Delhi and Mumbai are experiencing strain on infrastructure development. Unlike in India, Most of the Australian airports are controlled by private companies, local councils and the government. From the above comparison, it is evident that the transport modes of India are in need of development and in Australia it is developed to an advanced stage. In Australia, freight movement is important because most of the people are capable to own private vehicles. But in India, condition is different and the primarily use of transport modes is passenger services. Factors that influenced the difference in development of transport modes The factors that influenced the difference in development of transport modes in India and Australia are: geographical, historical, population, and industrial. The geographical settings of India and Australia are entirely different. India a peninsula and Australia is an island continent. So it is important for India to maintain transport relation with its neighboring countries. For instance, the rail network connects India with all of its neighboring countries and it helps to keep peace in the sub continent. But in Australia, the primary use of transport modes like rail is to maintain supremacy in trade and commerce. Cooper & Hall reflect that: “Australia’s geographical scale demands a major investment in transport infrastructure” (Cooper & Hall 2003, p. 61) because of the geographical characteristics it is essential for Australia to invest in transport infrastructure. So the governmet shows keen interest in infrastructure development. Historically, both the countries were under colonial power. But the colonial rule in India lasted for centuries and it positively influenced the infrastructure development of transport modes. The rail network introduced by the British rule for trade and commercial purposes developed into the largest rail network in the world. But the colonists who invaded Australia settled there and introduced the developed modes of transport from Europe and America. This helped Australia to have a more advance form of transport system. The Indian sub continent is thickly populated and it needed a different type of transport mode to connect the huge population. But in Australia, the continent is scarcely populated and it needed long highways and rail network to connect the people. Hillstorm reflects that: “Most Australians live in urban settings.”(Hillstorm 2003, p.2) the people of Australia like urban life so the development of transport infrastructure in urban area is important. In India, industry is in a developing stage. So, the road network and rail network are used for passenger purposes and freight movement. But in Australia, it is fully developed and the rail network is mostly used for freight transport. So it is evident that the geographical, historical, population and industrial factors influenced the development of transport modes in India and Australia. Before concluding, it is to be pointed out that so many factors influence the difference in development of transport modes in India and Australia. From the evaluation of transport modes in India and Australia, it is evident that road network is most important and cheapest mode of passenger transport in India. But in Australia, road network is the back bone of the economy and is mainly used for transportation of goods and commodities. The comparison between India and Australia makes clear that India is undergoing a gradual development process but Australia is far ahead of India in infrastructure development of transport modes. Moreover, it is evident that the geography, history, population and industrial development influence the development of entire different transport modes in both these countries. The transport modes are closely related to the development process of a nation and the comparison between India and Australia prove this fact. Bibliography Asia Pacific Rail 2002, ‘Train sets bound for Australia’, 2002, viewed 22 March 2009. Burley, K 1968, British Shipping and Australia 1920-1939, CUP Archive. Cooper, C & Hall CM 2003, Oceania: a tourism handbook, Channel View Publications. Hillstrom, LC 2003, Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica: a continental overview of environmental issues, ABC-CLIO. Hargroves, K, & Smith, M H 2005, The natural advantage of nations: business opportunities, innovation and governance in the 21st century, Earthscan. Laird, P 2001, Back on Track: Rethinking Transport Policy in Australia and New Zealand, UNSW Press. Muehlich, P & Hamachera, T 2006, ‘Global transportation scenarios in the multi-regional EFDA-TIMES energy model’, Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, January 2009, viewed 20 March 2009. Singh, SK 2005, ‘Review of Urban Transportation in India’, Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 8, 2005, viewed 22 March 2009, pp. 79-97, United Nations, 2002 ‘Australia country profile’, Johannesburg summit 2002, PP.1-82. World Bank Independent Evaluation Group 2007, A Decade of Action in Transport: An Evaluation of World Bank Assistance to the Transport Sector, 1995-2005, WBP, Washington, D.C. Read More