Transport in India
Transport in India consists of transport by land, water and air. Road transport is the primary mode of transport for most Indian citizens, and India's road transport systems are among the most heavily used in the world. The growth of highway construction in India, fuelled by fast GDP growth, has reduced India's logistics costs to 9% compared to 8% in China, 12% in USA and EU.
India's road network is the largest, and the busiest in the world, transporting 8.225 billion passengers and over 980 million tonnes of cargo annually, as of 2015. India's rail network is the fourth largest and second busiest in the world, transporting 8.09 billion passengers and 1.20 billion tonnes of freight annually, as of 2020 Aviation in India is broadly divided into military and civil aviation which is the fastest-growing aviation market in the world. India's waterways network, in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks, is the ninth largest waterway network in the world. Freight transport by waterways is highly under utilised in India with the total cargo moved by inland waterways being 0.1 percent of the total inland traffic in India. In total, about 21 percent of households have two wheelers whereas 4.70 percent of households in India have cars or vans as per the 2011 census of India. The automobile industry in India is currently growing rapidly with an annual production of over 28.4 million vehicles, with an annual growth rate of 10.5% and vehicle volume is expected to rise greatly in the future.
For the construction of green highways and to reduce the piles of municipal waste, India aims to reuse all of the existing piles of garbage for the road construction by 2027, of which 80 trillion ton of solid waste has been already segregated and reused for the highway construction as of 2025.
Research and education
The Indian transport research and education ecosystem is a highly structured, multi-modal network designed to address the nation's immense logistical, safety, and strategic needs. This landscape is characterised by a core duality: critical sectors that require centralised, high-integrity governance, and decentralised urban sectors that demand agile, policy-driven innovation. The foundational pillars of the centralised system are the high-technology, mission-critical domains of Rail and Space. This multi-modal ecosystem is therefore geared towards generating standardised, scalable, and sustainable solutions for India's future mobility challenges across all critical transport verticals.Transport policy
- Research: Organisations like Institute for Transportation and Development Policy India translate the technical findings into tangible policy action, assisting municipal corporations in implementing successful Bus Rapid Transit systems and creating Complete Streets networks that prioritise walking and cycling, which is vital given India's large population.
Space transport
- Research in space transport is managed entirely by the ISRO under the Department of Space, with specialised centres like the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre for launch vehicle design and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre for propulsion systems.
- Education: Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Asia's first space university, for aerospace and avionics engineering.
Roads and urban mobility
- Research: Research in Road, Urban Mobility, and Maritime logistics is highly collaborative, integrating government mandates with academic and non-governmental expertise. The CSIR-Central Road Research Institute is the national apex body for road infrastructure, dedicated to advancing pavement technology, geotechnical stability, and the implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems to enhance cost-efficiency and safety.
- Education: Specialised academic centres ensure policy is informed by cutting-edge science: the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Programme at IIT Delhi is globally recognised for its pioneering work on Vulnerable Road Users, directly influencing indigenous vehicle and safety standards. The focus on sustainable urban mobility is further advanced by the Centre of Excellence in Urban Transport at IIT Madras, which models advanced solutions for connected intelligent transportation and advises on concepts like Transit-Oriented Development and Low Emission Zones.
Railways
- Research in Rail development is anchored by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation under the Ministry of Railways, which is responsible for standardisation, design, and developing safety systems like Kavach and sustainable solutions such as the Hydrogen Train model.
- Education: The specialised talent needed for these high-technology fields is systematically cultivated by dedicated universities, such as GATI SHAKTI VISHWAVIDYALAYA for rail and transport analytics.
Maritime logistics
- Research: The Centre for Maritime Logistics at GMU focuses research on digitalisation and automation to maximise logistical efficiency across shipping, ports, and freight forwarding, directly supporting the strategic goals outlined in the national Maritime India Vision 2030.
List of research and educational institutes and think tanks
| Category/Mode | Institution | Institutional Affiliation | Primary Research/Educational Focus | Notes |
| Space Transport | Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram | ISRO / Dept. of Space | Design and development of launch vehicle technology, including aeronautics, avionics, materials, and vehicle integration. | Lead centre for launch vehicle realisation. |
| Space Transport | Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Thiruvananthapuram & Bengaluru | ISRO / Dept. of Space | Design, development, and realisation of liquid propulsion stages and cryogenic stages for ISRO's Launch Vehicles, including key component development. | Specialised in developing high-performance propulsion systems. |
| Space Transport | Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram | Dept. of Space | Undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes in core space science and technology disciplines. | Asia's first Space University, established to meet demands of the Indian Space Programme. |
| Rail | Research Designs and Standards Organisation, Lucknow | Ministry of Railways | Technical advisory, design, and standardisation of railway equipment; development of indigenous safety systems and sustainable technologies ; publishes standards. | Functions as the technical consultant to the Railway Board. |
| Rail | Centre for Railway Research | Academic, MoR Partnership | Applied Computational Intelligence to railway engineering, focusing on Signal and Communication, Condition Monitoring, and Predictive Maintenance. | Nodal academic research hub for specialised domains assigned by the Ministry of Railways. |
| Rail | GATI SHAKTI VISHWAVIDYALAYA , Vadodara | Central University | Inter-disciplinary B.Tech, MBA, and MSc programmes for the transport sector. | India's first university focusing exclusively on the transport sector. |
| Road & Highways | CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi | CSIR | Scientific advancement of road design, construction, maintenance, Traffic Safety, and the adoption of Intelligent Transport Systems. | Dedicated to shaping national policies and standards for road infrastructure. |
| Road | Central Institute of Road Transport | Related to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways | Research concerning the management and operational aspects of road transport services and public sector efficiency. | Focuses on operational and management training. |
| Road | Automotive Research Association of India | Industry Association | Vehicle technology, testing, and certification, addressing compatibility with road environment and safety norms. | |
| Urban Mobility, Traffic Design & Safety | Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Programme | Academic, WHO Collaborating Centre | Pioneering research on Vulnerable Road Users ; promoting indigenous safety solutions and influencing helmet/vehicle standards. | Integrates mobility, safety, and environmental concerns. |
| Urban Mobility, ITS & Planning | Centre of Excellence in Urban Transport | Academic, Industry Supported | Modelling Connected Intelligent Urban Transportation, TOD, Low Emission Zones, and providing advisory services for Metros/BRT. | Focuses on developing solutions for heterogeneous urban transport systems. |
| Urban Policy & Complete Streets | Institute for Transportation and Development Policy India | Non-Governmental Organisation | Translating research into municipal policy implementation; successful projects in Bus Rapid Transit and development of Complete Streets networks prioritising NMT. | Provides technical assistance for politically sensitive urban reforms. |
| Maritime & Logistics | CML | Academic | Improving efficiency and sustainability of maritime logistics through digitalisation, automation, and data-driven strategies for ports, shipping, and freight forwarding. | Aligned with Maritime India Vision 2030 goals. |
| Maritime & Logistics | Gujarat Maritime University | Academic/State University | Education, research, and training in maritime and logistics, including executive education on topics like Public Private Partnerships and industry-academia linkages. | |
| Academic | School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi / Vijayawada | Academic | Offers specialised Master's Degree programmes in Traffic and Transportation Planning. | Programmes recognised by the Institute of Town Planners, India. |
| Academic | CEPT University, Ahmedabad | Academic | Offers Master's in Urban Transport Systems, promoting an integrated planning approach across roads, railways, land use, and governance. | |
| Academic | Indian Institutes of Technology | Academic | Offers core graduate-level programmes in Transportation Engineering and related Transportation Systems Engineering. | Provides core engineering and analytical talent for the sector. |