Advantages of Road Transport:

1. Less Investment:
Roads need less capital than the railways. Laying of railway line needs
much capital than road. So it is cheaper.

2. Door to Door Service:

Railways have the drawback that they cannot go to each village while
road transport provides door to door service. So it is more beneficial.

3. Flexibility in Service:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

Unlike railways, the road transport provides flexible service to men

and materials.

4. Employment:
Road transport provides emplo3mient to many persons directly and
indirectly.

5. Useful for Small Distances:

While railways are useful in long distances, road transport is useful in
small distances.

6. Complementary to Rail Transport:

Road transport is helpful to rail transport. People reach railway station
taking the help of road transport so it provides feeder service to rail
transport.

7. Personal Service:
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Rail transport is managed by Govt. alone while road transport has

private and public carriers. So there is completion in road transport.
Even people have their own vehicles. So it is also a kind of personal
service.

8. Helpful in Production of Perishable Goods:

Road transport is helpful in production of perishable goods as it
facilitates the distribution of perishable goods from point of
production to point of consumption.

9. Beneficial to Industries:
Industries which are situated away from railway links, the road
transport helps them a lot. It facilitates the mobility of men and
materials for these industries.
Disadvantages of Road Transport:
The following are the disadvantages of road transport
system:
1. Frequent Accidents:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

Road transport system is dotted with frequent accidents. According to

an estimate, there are large number of deaths due to road accidents.
So it is not safer mode of transport.

2. Inadequate Roads:
Most of the roads are in bad shape and are inadequate. There are only
34 km long roads per 100 sq. km area in India while in Japan 270 km
roads per 100 sq. km.

3. Heavy Taxes:
There is heavy tax burden on motor transport in India. Tax burden per
motor vehicle in India is Rs. 3500 while in America it is Rs. 860.

4. Poor Maintenance of Roads:

Roads are not maintained properly in India. Less than 0.1 percent of
national income is spent on the maintenance of roads in India, while
in Japan it is 3 percent of the national income.

5. Rising Cost of Petrol and Diesel:

Due to high prices of petroleum products and diesel, operational costs
of road transport are rising and making the mode of transport more
costlier.
6. Unsuitable for Long Distances and Bulky Goods:
Road transport is unsuitable for long distances as it is uncomfortable
as compared to railways. It is also not suitable for bulky goods.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Water

Transport
Advantages:
1. Less Maintenance Cost:
Maintenance cost in rail and road transport is quite high but
maintenance cost of water transport is quite less.

2. Cheap:
The transport channel is quite cheap as compared rail and road
Transport.

3. Useful for Bulky Goods:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Heavy and bulky goods can be transported easily at little cost through
water transport.

4. Useful During Natural Calamities:

During natural calamities like flood and rains, when rail and road
transport is disrupted, relief operations can be operated through water
transport.

5. Helpful in Defence:
Development of shipping is essential for the defence of the country
also. It is also called second line of defence.

6. Important for Foreign Trade:

Water transport plays important role in foreign trade. India’s foreign
trade is mainly dependent on water transport.

Disadvantages of Water Transport:

The following are the disadvantages of water transport:
1. Slow Speed:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

It is a slow means of transport. Failure of monsoon results into fall in

the water level of rivers making navigation difficult.

2. More Risky:
Water transport is more risky as compared to other means because
there is always danger of sinking ships or boats

Advantages and disadvantages of air transport

Advantages of air transport

Following are the advantages of air transport

High Speed

It is the fastest mode of transport and therefore suitable for carriage of goods over a
long distance. It require less time.

Quick Service

Air transport provides comfortable, efficient and quick transport services. It is regarded
as best mode of transport for transporting perishable goods.

No Infrastructure Investment
Air transport does not give emphasis on construction of tracks like railways. As no
capital investment in surface track is needed, it is a less costly mode of transport.

Easy Access

Air transport is regarded as the only means of transport in those areas which are not
easily accessible to other modes of transport. It is therefore accessible to all areas
regardless the obstruction of land.

No Physical Barrier

Air transport is free from physical barriers because it follows the shortest and direct
routes where seas, mountains and forests do not obstruct.

Natural Route

Aircrafts travels to any place without any natural obstacles or barriers because the
custom formalities are compiled very quickly. It avoids delay in obtaining clearance.

National defence

It plays a significant role in the national defense of the country because modern wars
are conducted with the help of aero planes. Airways has a upper hand a destroying the
enemy in a short period.

Disadvantage of air transport

Inspite of many advantages, air transport has some disadvantage also.

Risky

Air transport is the most risky form of transport because a minor accident may put a
substantial loss to the goods, passengers and the crew. The chances of accidents are
greater in comparison to other modes of transport.

Very Costly

Air transport is considered costlier as compare to other mode of transport. The

operating cost of aero-planes are higher and it involves a great deal of expenditure on
the construction of aerodromes and aircraft. Because of this reason the fare of air
transport are high that common people can’t afford it.
Small Carrying Capacity

The aircrafts have small carrying capacity and therefore these are not suitable for
carrying bulky and cheaper goods. The load capacity cannot be increased as it is found
in case of rails.

Unreliable

Air transport is unreliable as it depends of the weather forecast. Normally if the weather
is not certain the flight may got delayed.

Huge Investment

Air transport requires huge investment for construction and maintenance of

aerodromes. It also requires trained, experienced and skilled personnel which involves
a substantial investment.

Advantages and Disadvantages of rail transport

Advantages:
1. Dependable:
The greatest advantage of the railway transport is that it is the most
dependable mode of transport as it is the least affected by weather
conditions such as rains, fog etc. compared to other modes of
transport.

2. Better Organised:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The rail transport is better organised than any other form of transport.
It has fixed routes and schedules. Its service is more certain, uniform
and regular as compared to other modes of transport.

3. High Speed over Long Distances:

Its speed over long distances is more than any other mode of
transport, except airways. Thus, it is the best choice for long distance
traffic.

4. Suitable for Bulky and Heavy Goods:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Railway transport is economical, quicker and best suited for carrying

heavy and bulky goods over long distances.

5. Cheaper Transport:
It is a cheaper mode of transport as compared to other modes of
transport. Most of the working expenses of railways are in the nature
of fixed costs. Every increase in the railway traffic is followed by a
decrease in the average cost. Rail transport is economical in the use of
labour also as one driver and one guard are sufficient to carry much
more load than the motor transport.

6. Safety:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

Railway is the safest form of transport. The chances of accidents and

breakdowns of railways are minimum as compared to other modes of
transport. Moreover, the traffic can be protected from the exposure to
sun, rains, snow etc.

7. Larger Capacity:
The carrying capacity of the railways is extremely large. Moreover, its
capacity is elastic which can easily be increased by adding more
wagons.

8. Public Welfare:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

It is the largest public undertaking in the country. Railways perform

many public utility services. Their charges are based on ‘charge what
the traffic can bear’ principle which helps the poor. In fact, it is
national necessity.

9. Administrative Facilities of Government:

Railways provide administrative facilities to the Government. The
defence forces and the public servants drive their mobility primarily
from the railways.

10. Employment Opportunities:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The railways provide greater employment opportunities for both

skilled and unskilled labour. Over 16 lakh persons are depending upon
railways for their livelihood.

Disadvantages:
Although railway transport has many advantages, it suffers
from certain serious limitations:
1. Huge Capital Outlay:
The railway requires is large investment of capital. The cost of
construction, maintenance and overhead expenses are very high as
compared to other modes of transport. Moreover, the investments are
specific and immobile. In case the traffic is not sufficient, the
investments may mean wastage of huge resources.

2. Lack of Flexibility:
Another disadvantage of railway transport is its inflexibility. Its routes
and timings cannot be adjusted to individual requirements.

3. Lack of Door to Door Service:

Rail transport cannot provide door to door service as it is tied to a
particular track. Intermediate loading or unloading involves greater
cost, more wear and tear and wastage of time.

The time and cost of terminal operations are a great disadvantage of

rail transport.

4. Monopoly:
As railways require huge capital outlay, they may give rise to
monopolies and work against public interest at large. Even if
controlled and managed by the government, lack of competition may
breed inefficiency and high costs.

5. Unsuitable for Short Distance and Small Loads:

Railway transport is unsuitable and uneconomical for short distance
and small traffic of goods.

6. Booking Formalities:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

It involves much time and labour in booking and taking delivery of

goods through railways as compared to motor transport.

7. No Rural Service:
Because of huge capital requirements and traffic, railways cannot be
operated economically in rural areas. Thus, large rural areas have no
railway service even today. This causes much inconvenience to the
people living in rural areas.

8. Under-utilised Capacity:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

The railway must have full load for its ideal and economic operation.
As it has a very large carrying capacity, under-utilisation of its
capacity, in most of the regions, is a great financial problem and loss
to the economy.

9. Centralised Administration:
Being the public utility service railways have monopoly position and as
such there is centralised administration. Local authorities fail to meet
the personal requirements of the people as compared to roadways.