India, the fifth-largest economy in the world, may become the third biggest by 2030, overtaking Germany and Japan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it a top priority for his government to boost infrastructure, but challenges abound. This report examines the progress and prospects of three key sectors: railways, highways and aviation.
Railways: Speeding up modernisation and capacity
India’s rail network is one of the largest and busiest in the world, carrying over 23 million passengers and 3.6 million tonnes of freight daily. However, it also suffers from congestion, delays, safety issues and outdated technology. To address these problems, the government has launched several initiatives to modernise and expand the rail infrastructure.
One of the flagship projects is the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), which aims to create separate tracks for freight trains, reducing congestion and increasing speed and efficiency. The DFC will cover about 3,300 km across two corridors: the Eastern Corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni and the Western Corridor from Dadri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port. The project is expected to be completed by June 2024, with some sections already operational.
Another major project is the High Speed Rail (HSR), also known as bullet train, which will introduce a new mode of transport in India. The first HSR corridor will connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad, covering 508 km with a design speed of 320 km/h. The project is being implemented with financial and technical assistance from Japan, and is scheduled to be completed by 2028.
Besides these mega projects, the government is also investing in upgrading existing tracks, electrifying more routes, introducing new trains such as Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat, and Namo Bharat among others, improving passenger amenities and safety features, and enhancing digital services.
According to the Ministry of Railways, the pace of railway track construction increased more than three times from 1,452 km/year to 5,243 km/year between 2009-14 and 2014-21. The share of electrified routes increased from 42% to 71% in the same period. The average speed of freight trains improved from 24 km/h to 46 km/h between April 2020 and March 2021.
Highways: Building a new India with a massive road network
India has the second-largest road network in the world, spanning over 6.4 million km. Roads are the dominant mode of transport in India, accounting for about 86% of passenger traffic and 65% of freight traffic. However, many roads are in poor condition, inadequate or congested, affecting mobility and economic growth.
To improve the quality and connectivity of roads, the government has launched several ambitious programmes such as Bharatmala Pariyojana, which aims to develop about 65,000 km of national highways by 2025; Sagarmala Pariyojana, which focuses on port connectivity and coastal development; Setu Bharatam Pariyojana, which envisages building or upgrading over 200 bridges; and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), which targets rural connectivity.
One of the most prominent projects under Bharatmala Pariyojana is the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, which will span 1,386 km and cut travel time between the two cities to 12 hours from 24 hours now. The expressway will pass through five states and have eight lanes with provision for expansion to 12 lanes. The project is expected to be completed by 2024, with some sections already inaugurated.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the construction of national highways increased from 12 km/day in 2014-15 to 37 km/day in 2020-21. The length of national highways increased by 60% to 1,45,240 km between 2014 and 2021. The total investment in road sector increased by 3.7 times to Rs 1.83 lakh crore in 2020-21 from Rs 51,914 crore in 2014-15.
Aviation: Connecting through skies with affordable and accessible air travel
India is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world, with domestic passenger traffic growing at an average annual rate of 11% between FY16 and FY21. However, India’s air transport potential remains largely untapped, with only about 7% of its population flying annually.
To boost air connectivity and make flying affordable for more people, the government has launched several initiatives such as UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), which aims to connect unserved and underserved airports with subsidised fares; NABH (NextGen Airports for Bharat) Nirman, which focuses on developing airport infrastructure; and Krishi Udan, which supports the transport of agricultural products by air.
One of the key achievements of UDAN is the addition of 74 new airports to India’s aviation map in the last few years, taking the total number of operational airports to 148. Some of the new airports include Darbhanga in Bihar, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Kalaburagi in Karnataka and Pakyong in Sikkim. UDAN has also enabled the introduction of new routes and flights, especially to remote and regional destinations.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, UDAN has operationalised 361 routes and 59 airports till date, connecting 24 states and union territories. The scheme has also facilitated the movement of 4.1 million passengers and 12,000 tonnes of cargo since its launch in 2017.
The government is also working on expanding the capacity and modernising the existing airports, especially the major ones such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The government has also approved the construction of new greenfield airports such as Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, Mopa in Goa, Hollongi in Arunachal Pradesh and Dholera in Gujarat.