Introduction
There are three main means of transport in Uttar Pradesh: road, rail, and air, with water transport as a secondary option. Among these, significant emphasis has been placed on the development of road and rail transport. The percentage of road traffic in total transportation, both in terms of passengers and goods, is rapidly increasing. Currently, road traffic constitutes more than 70 percent of the total traffic. At the time of independence, the state had a total of 15,113 km of paved roads, a number that has increased to 269,936 km as of March 2021-22.
Road Transport
Under the Public Works Department (PWD), there are four types of roads in the state: National Highway, Provincial Highway, District Road, and Rural Road.
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Point To Remember
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Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC)
Before independence, the Uttar Pradesh government entered the field of road transport to enhance public facilities and established an organization named ‘Uttar Pradesh Government Roadways.’
Passenger road transport services in the state of U.P. commenced on May 15, 1947, with the initiation of bus service on the Lucknow – Barabanki route by the erstwhile U.P. Government Roadways.
In 1950, the State Legislature passed a law to formalize this institution, leading to the formation of the ‘Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation’ on June 1, 1972, replacing Uttar Pradesh Roadways.
The corporation’s headquarters is in Lucknow and is overseen by the Board of Directors. The state is divided into 20 areas, each controlled by a District Regional Manager (DRM). There are a total of 115 depots across the state under these 20 areas and 300 bus stations.
The corporation primarily operates bus services on the nationalized routes of the state. However, in response to passenger demands, services are also provided on a limited number of non-nationalized roads. The corporation maintains a diverse fleet, including regular, deluxe, and AC buses, to offer local, urban, and interstate services.
The Corporation provides free facilities to present and former members of the Central and State Legislature, medal-awarded police personnel, soldiers, disabled individuals, recognized journalists, and freedom fighters with one companion, as well as national/state-awarded teachers and children up to 5 years of age.
In 2010-11, the corporation had 7,295 own buses and 1,237 privately contracted buses in its fleet. According to the UPSRTC official website, the corporation now has 8,939 own buses and 2,376 hired buses. Its buses operate over 3.37 million kilometers, catering to the travel needs of over 1.18 million people and earning over ₹124.86 million every day. The central workshop and training institute of the corporation is in Kanpur.
Janrath Service, which operates low-fare air-conditioned buses, has been provided by the corporation from the capital Lucknow to many district headquarters of the state.
Lohia Rural Bus Service, initiated by the Corporation in February 2015, offers cheap and accessible travel in the rural areas of the state. Under this service, fares have been reduced by 25% compared to normal buses.
Urban Bus Service has been operational in 12 major cities of the state since 1992.
The Radio Taxi Service, which aims to provide safe, comfortable, and air-conditioned means of transport through the private sector, was first launched in Lucknow on November 22, 2013, and operates in 13 municipal corporation cities of the state.
The Shatabdi Bus Service, operated by UPSRTC, is providing this new facility between Lucknow and Gorakhpur.
UP Express Bus Services started since 1993.
Road Development Policy/Programmes/Institutions
The Lucknow Plan is related to the development of roads.
The Uttar Pradesh Road Safety Policy-2014 was implemented on September 22, 2014, for the prevention of road accidents and traffic management in the state. Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country where a road safety policy has been implemented.
National Highway Development Project (NHDP)
- Initiation: December 2000
- Implementing Authority: National Highway Authority (NHA)
- Project Overview
- Golden Quadrilateral: Spans 5,846 km, connecting the four metros.
- North-South and East-West Corridors: Covers 7,300 km, linking Srinagar-Kanyakumari and Silchar-Porbandar, respectively.
- Key Roadways
- Intersection in Jhansi: Six-lane roads of North-South and East-West corridors meet in Jhansi district of the state.
- Silchar to Jhansi: The 6-lane road from Silchar enters from the east, follows National Highway No. 28 to Lucknow, and continues on National Highway No. 25 till Jhansi.
- Kolkata to Delhi: The 4-lane road from Kolkata (Golden Quadrilateral) follows National Highway No. 2 (G.T. Road) from Varanasi to Delhi via Kanpur, where it connects with the 6-lane East-West Corridor.
- Renumbering Update (March 5, 2010)
- National Highway No. 25, 28, and 2 were renumbered as the new ‘National Highway 27EW’ after the notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Uttar Pradesh State Highway Authority – This authority was established in June 2004 to facilitate the development and maintenance of state highways in the state. The assistance of national and international financial institutions, as well as the private sector through PPP or other methods, was sought. At the time of its formation, a capital of Rs 1,000 crore was allocated.
Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEDA): This authority was established by the state government in December 2007 for the development of expressways in the state.
Noida-Greater Noida Expressway: This is the first expressway in the state. The length of this expressway is 24.53 km. It was constructed in 2002-03.
Yamuna (Taj) Expressway: The construction of a 100 m wide 6-lane road from Greater Noida to Agra (165.53 km) by Jaypee Infotech Ltd. under the Build, Operate, and Transfer Project by the Yamuna Express Industrial Development Authority, formed in April 2001, has been completed. It was opened to the general public on August 9, 2012. This expressway, designed for a speed of 120 km per hour, features interchanges at three places where various facilities are available. Its cost is ₹12,839 crore. The expressway passes through Gautam Buddha Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura, and Agra districts. Jaypee Group, the developer of this project, has been granted the right to collect toll tax on it for 36 years.
Agra-Lucknow Expressway: The length of this 6-lane expressway is approximately 302.222 km. It was commissioned in November 2016 and was built by 5 private companies in a record 23 months at a cost of approximately ₹13,200 crore. Equipped with an advanced traffic management system, a 3.3 km airstrip has also been constructed on this expressway for emergency landings. The maximum vehicle speed on this expressway is 120 km per hour. Starting from Etmadpur (Agra) to Sarosa-Bharosa (Lucknow), the expressway passes through 10 districts (Agra, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Kannauj, Kanpur Nagar, Unnao, Hardoi, and Lucknow). Now, Lucknow is connected to Delhi through the Yamuna Expressway.
Purvachal Expressway: The green expressway starts from Chand Sarai, Lucknow NH-731, and extends to Haidariya Ghazipur (NH-31) via Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, and Mau. Spanning 340.824 km, this expressway connects 9 districts (Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau & Ghazipur). It boasts a width of 120 meters with 6 lanes. A 3.2 km long airstrip has been constructed in Sultanpur. The expressway was inaugurated on 16 November 2021, and its foundation stone was laid on 14 July 2018.
Bundelkhand Expressway: This expressway begins at NH-35 in Bharatkoop, Chitrakoot district, passes through Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Auraiya and Jalaun, and concludes at the Lucknow-Agra Expressway in Kadrail, Etawah district. Spanning 296.070 km, this four-lane expressway was opened to the public in July 2022.
Gorakhpur Link Expressway: This expressway will be 91.352 km long. It will originate from Purvanchal Expressway near Salarpur (Azamgarh), touch some parts of Ambedkar Nagar and Sant Kabir Nagar, and connect with NH-27 near Jaitpur in Gorakhpur.
Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor : Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor, which costs Rs. 454.89 crore. The defence corridor will provide numerous employment opportunities for the people of U.P., and the state will become a producer of defence equipment. The corridor has six nodes: Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Aligarh, and Chitrakoot. Modern defence equipment will be produced under the Make in India policy. The new FDI policy, which provides concessions to the defence sector, will attract more than 50,000 crore FDI. The government expects that almost 3.60 billion will be saved, which is currently expended on the import of defence products. The Defence Corridor will create 2.50 lakh employment opportunities.
Ganga Expressway :
On December 18, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Ganga Expressway, connecting the western part (Meerut) of Uttar Pradesh to the eastern part, Prayagraj, at Shahjahanpur.
This expressway, about 594 km long, is a greenfield project in Uttar Pradesh, connecting western U.P (Meerut) with eastern U.P (Prayagraj). It will likely be the longest expressway in the world.
This six-lane greenfield expressway (expandable to 8 lanes) will not only enhance connectivity but also contribute to generating employment, industry, and tourism. For this project, 6,556 hectares of land will be acquired.
The expressway will pass through 12 districts of UP, including Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahar, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj. This project is expected to be completed by December 2024.
Weight-in-Motion, developed by IIT Kanpur, is used to check overloaded vehicles.
Rail Transportation
The first railway line in India was laid in 1853 between Mumbai and Thana (34 km). Currently, there are about 9,167 km of railways in Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh ranks first in the country in terms of the total rail network.
The first train in the state was run from Prayagraj to Kanpur in March 1859. In 1950, there were a total of 8 railway zones in the country, which increased to 9 in 1966, to 16 in 2002-03, and to 18 in 2016-17.
Out of these 18 railway zones, lines of 5 railway zones pass through the state, namely Northern Railway, Central Railway, Western Railway, North Eastern Railway, and North Central Railway.
Among these 5 railway zones, two have their headquarters in Uttar Pradesh—North Eastern Railway (NER) has its headquarters in Gorakhpur, and North Central Railway (NCR) has its headquarters in Prayagraj.
Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Agra, Jhansi, Moradabad, Varanasi, Tundla, Gonda, Ayodhya, Bareilly, Aurihar, etc., are the main rail junctions in the state.
There are a total of 9 railway divisions from different zones in the state, which are as follows: (1) Moradabad and Lucknow divisions of Northern Railway, (2) Izzatnagar (Bareilly), Lucknow, and Varanasi divisions of North Eastern Railway, (3) Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction Division, and (4) Prayagraj, Agra, and Jhansi Division of North Central Railway. The smallest division among these divisions is Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction, which is also the smallest railway division in the country.
Railways, in cooperation with the state government, has started the ‘Buddhist Parikrama Express’ for tourists visiting Buddhist places. This train travels to Lucknow via Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Gaya, Rajgir, Vaishali, Patna, Varanasi, and Gorakhpur.
India’s longest train is the Prayagraj Express, which has 26 coaches and runs daily from New Delhi to Prayagraj.
The longest railway yard of Indian Railways is in Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jn.
Platform no. 1 and 2 of Gorakhpur Cantt together form the longest platform (1366.33 m) in the world.
The largest electric loco shed in Asia and India is located in Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jn.
The ‘Lockers on Wheels’ facility was first introduced in Indian Railways in 1994-95 on the Shatabdi Express train running between New Delhi and Lucknow.
The foundation stone for Banaras Locomotive Works in Varanasi, for manufacturing diesel engines in the state, was laid on April 23, 1956, by the then President, the late Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
There is a rail coach repair factory in Gorakhpur. The country’s third rail coach factory has been established in Lalganj (Rae Bareli).
Central Railway Electrification Organisation in Prayagraj was established in 1985.
There are two recruitment boards for Railways recruitment in the state, located in Prayagraj and Gorakhpur.
The state has one railway museum in Varanasi.
There is an electric driver training centre in Ghaziabad in the state.
The headquarters of the Railway Safety Commission is in Lucknow.
Lucknow station in the state was constructed in 1926.
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Points To Remember
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Air Transportation
The first air flight in India took place in 1911. Before 1953, air transport in India was operated by private companies. In 1953, air transport was nationalized by the Government of India, and two corporations named Air India and Indian Air Lines were established.
Air India provides air transport facilities to more than 59 countries internationally and has more than 20 aircraft in its fleet.
Indian Air Lines offers air transport services domestically and to some neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Myanmar, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Afghanistan, etc. Recognized private companies and air taxi operators provide supplementary services.
Pawan Hans Limited (Helicopter Corporation of India) was established in 1985 to meet the needs of the petroleum sector. It also provides its services in previously inaccessible states.
Since 1990, many private sector companies have been providing air transport services. Currently, there are a total of 46 airstrips/bases in the state, out of which 16 are under the control of the State Government, 8 belong to the Air Force, 5 are managed by the Airports Authority of India, and the rest are under the control of others.
Akbarpur (Ambedkarnagar), Andhau (Ghazipur), Amhat (Sultanpur), Ghanipur (Aligarh), Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar (Meerut), Farrukhabad, Myorpur (Sonbhadra), Palia (Kheeri), Shravasti, Moradabad, Kanpur Dehat, Saifai (Etawah) ), Azamgarh, Jhansi, Lalitpur and Chitrakoot have 16 airstrips under the control of the state government.
There are Air Force airstrips at Kheria (Agra), Bamrauli (Prayagraj), Chakeri (Kanpur), Gorakhpur, Sarsawa (Saharanpur), Bareilly, Hindon (Ghaziabad), and Bakshi Talab (Lucknow).
The Airports Authority of India has three international airports in the state (Lucknow, Varanasi, and Kushinagar), while two more international airports are being built in Jewar (Gautam Buddha Nagar) and Ayodhya.
There is a civil aviation training center and an airport school at Bamrauli in Prayagraj.
Indira Gandhi National Flying Academy is located in Fursatganj, Rae Bareli.
There are flying schools in Meerut, Aligarh, and Sephai (Etawah).
The National Paratroopers Training College is located in Agra. Arrangements for aero sports are also being made here.
There are airbases in Agra, Lucknow, and Ghaziabad.
There is an air station in Saharanpur.
There is an Army Aviation Center in Jhansi.
Under the Centre’s ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik’ (UDAN) scheme and Regional Connectivity Scheme, civil air services will be started in 11 cities of the state (Agra, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Ghaziabad, Jhansi, Moradabad, Sonbhadra, and Shravasti). At present, a total of 9 airports, including three international airports, are operational for civil flights in the state.
Water Transportation
The Government of India declared the 1620 km long route from Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) to Haldia (West Bengal) in the Ganga River as National Waterway Number One in 1986, making it the longest inland waterway in the country.
Under National Waterway No. 1, the 1383 km long Ganga river waterway from Haldia to Varanasi was inaugurated on 12 November 2018. The country’s first multi-modal terminal for loading and unloading goods has been built in Ralhupur, Varanasi. This terminal was also inaugurated on 12 November 2018.
The Varanasi-Prayagraj part of National Waterway No. 1 is also expected to become operational soon.
Information Communication
The pin code system in India was initiated in 1972.
India’s inaugural Air Mail Service commenced between Allahabad (Prayagraj) and Naini on February 18, 1911.
The Telegraph Service in India began in March 1854, connecting Agra and Kolkata.
The State Information Centre is situated in Lucknow.
Agricultural Diversity, Problems of agriculture and their solutions in UP