indiancity sights

At independence in 1947, India had one of the best-developed transport networks of any colony—particularly its railway system, which had been established during British rule. Since then it has built on this base, increasing the length of roads and establishing a comprehensive internal air transport network. However, the country's broad network of state-owned railway lines continues to carry the bulk of goods traffic. The total length of operated railway track was 63,221 km (39,284 mi) in 2004 of which 17 per cent was electrified. Three different gauges (widths) of track are in use. There were more than 3.9 million km (2.4 million mi) of roads of which about half were surfaced. In 1995 there were an estimated 3.8 million cars in India; in 1996 there was a ratio of approximately 6 cars for every 1,000 people. The major Indian ports, including Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, and Vishakhapatnam, are reached by cargo carriers and passenger liners operating to all parts of the world. The civil aviation network was nationalized in 1953, with Air India operating the long-haul international routes and Indian Airlines domestic and regional routes. Since 1991 some domestic routes have been opened to the private sector. The networks and volume of traffic is expanding rapidly and air routes now connect not only the major cities and towns but also remote areas in the Himalaya and north-east India. There are an estimated 290 airports in India.

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