As urbanization gaining pace in the country, seamless connectivity in transportation makes it imperative for fulfilling the needs of urban mobility in the country. Construction Times explores the trends and the way forward.
Urbanisation is gaining rapid strides in India as by 2036, around 40 per cent of the population or 600 million people will be living in cities. This will increase the movement of people and goods in urban areas. In this scenario, there will be a growing need for urban mobility infrastructure developments in future. Urban transportation development will be key with the growing population in cities and more urbanisation expected in future. As such, there are developments happening in railway, metro rail, airport and water transport sector, the demand is expected to escalate in future. Also, sustainability will go a bigger role in urban transportation in future which will create more opportunities for sustainable transportation solutions.
Metro rail – A new revolution
India’s metro systems have come a long way, from the first steps in Kolkata to the advanced technological features seen today. In the beginning of the new year 2025, the country has achieved a milestone of covering over 1,000 km of operational length across 11 states and 23 cities. With this growth, India has become home to the third-largest metro network in the world behind only China and the US. The country is set to become the second-largest soon as a slew of projects are under execution while more are in planning.
Inland waterways – A viable mode
Waterways are fast emerging as a viable and sustainable transport system to connect cities and regions on the coastal as well as inland regions. At a recent meeting of Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC), Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal unveiled initiatives with an investment of more than Rs 1,400 crore to boost inland waterways transport network in 21 states of
the country.
Water metro is an interesting development in metro transport system in the country. India’s first water metro was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kochi on April 25, 2023. The water metro service has electrically propelled hybrid ferries connecting the islands of Kochi with the mainland. According to reports, the success of Kochi Water Metro has inspired a move to replicate this eco-friendly water transport model across the country. Efforts are now underway to explore its implementation in 18 locations nationwide.
Rail connectivity
Suburban rail services are operational in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Chennai etc. For Mumbai, the suburban rail service is considered as the lifeline of the city as lakhs of commuters are dependent on the suburban railway system for their regular travel to work. The metro rail services started in the financial capital of the country very late, as currently there are three separate lines are operational now. Though more metro rail lines are under execution in Mumbai, the suburban railway service is expected to continue its prominence in the city. Focusing on the comfort of the commuters, Railways has introduced A/C services on Western Railway and Central Railway routes. Plans are there to increase the number of A/C train services and gradually converting all services to A/C.
Railways has also started rapid rail connectivity services called Vande Bharat Express to link major cities in the country. This initiative has received an overwhelming response from the people across the country. Meanwhile, high-speed rail project (bullet train) is underway to connect Mumbai with Ahmedabad which will save considerable travel time between the two cities, once operational. The government is also planning to start similar projects connecting other major cities of the country.
Air connectivity
India’s air connectivity infrastructure has received a boost with the introduction of the UDAN scheme that focuses on the development of airports across the country to improve the regional air connectivity for the common people to have a faster more of commute at affordable cost. RCS-UDAN celebrated its 8th anniversary, with 619 routes and 88 airports operationalized since the launch of the scheme, exemplifying the government’s commitment to affordable air travel. RCS-UDAN was launched on 21 October 2016 to enable air operations on unserved/underserved routes connecting different regions, promote balanced regional growth, and make flying affordable for the masses.
However, there are multiple requirements that need to be fulfilled while setting up an airport. Nirmal G. Humbad, Managing Director, Dorsch Consult India, elaborates, “Airports are like a small city. One of the basic needs to fly is to cut down time of travel. Time of travel is not only flying time but time to reach the airport. Thus, every airport being built demands city side development and hence triggering a good amount of urban mobility development plans. To make airport proposal viable and efficient, meeting multi-modal transport needs is a must.”
Challenges to be addressed
While there has been a considerable transformation in urban transportation and mobility solutions in the country, there are many challenges still to be addressed. From the perspective of airport infrastructure, Humbad adds, “Urban transportation and mobility development is capex and time sensitive. Flyers have high degree of affordability and their needs of reaching out to airport and back home/work space quickly is required to be met.”
Speaking on the challenges in modernization and safety in railways, Sunil Srivastava, Managing Director, Balaji Railroad System P Ltd, says, “The modernization and safety of Indian Railways face several challenges, despite the significant progress in infrastructure and technology upgrades. While Indian Railways has made significant strides in modernization and safety, addressing these challenges requires a multipronged approach involving technological innovation, enhanced funding, workforce development, and robust policymaking.”
While highlighting the importance of urban mobility, Humbad concludes, “Walk to the work place is ideal situation but with several constraints, it cannot happen in most of our urban places. Hence, urban mobility plays an important role in efficiency and productivity of urban masses. Thus, prevailing infrastructure development plans need to bridge the gap between demand and supply and with an integrated approach.”
