Lifelines of National Economy Test - 5

Shah Suri Marg is called National Highway No.1, between Delhi and Amritsar.This was a part of the historical Grand Trunk Road, that ran from Bengal to Kabul, built on earlier roads that existed from time immemorial.

Roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography.Most of the roads are in bad shape and are inadequate. 

Railways are the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India.Rail transport has the ability of conveying heavy and bulky goods; it is also very cheap, safe and comfortable for passengers over a long distance.

In rail transport, track gauge is the spacing of the rails on a railway track and is measured between the inner faces of the load-bearing rails.Width of Broad Gauge (1.676) Metre Gauge (1.000) Narrow Gauge (0.762 and 0.610)

The Indian Railways is the largest public sector undertaking in the country.IR is a major shareholder in 16  public sector undertaking and other organizations that are related to rail transport in India. Notable among this list include

The first train steamed off from Mumbai to Thane in 1853, covering a distance of 34 km.The first passenger train in South India ran 60 miles (97 km) from Royapuram- Veyasarapady  to Wallajah Road (Arcot) on 1 July 1856.

The Indian Railway is now reorganized into 16 zones. IR is divided into 16 zones, headed by general managers who report to the Railway Board.The zones are further subdivided into 68 operating divisions, headed by divisional railway managers (DRM)

The length of road per 100 sq. km of area is known as density of roads. Distribution of road is not uniform in the country. Density of all roads varies from only 12.14 km in Jammu and Kashmir to 517.77 km in Kerala (as on 31 March 2011) with the national average of 142.68 km (31 March 2011).Kerala with a road network of 5,268.69 km per 1,000 sq km surpasses all other states while Tripura with a road density of 3,026.23 km per 1,000 sq km ranks second, as per figures of the year 2008 in economic survey 2011-12.

Railways in India bind the economic life of the country as well as accelerate the development of the industry and agriculture. The Indian Railway have a network of 7,133 stations spread over a route length of 64,460 km with a fleet of 9,213 locomotives, 53,220 passenger service vehicles, 6,493 other coach vehicles and 2,29,381 wagons as on March 2011.

Today, the railways have become more important in our national economy than all other means of transport put together.Railways are called the economic lifeline of India since many passengers use it every single day and the IndianGovernment gets a lot of money from railways.