DR. GHASSAN SULEIMAN. GEOMETRIC DESIGN OF HIGHWAYS , FALL SEMESTER. Lecture 2. TRANSPORTATION MODES.

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1 Lecture 2. TRANSPORTATION MODES. 1

2 1. ROAD TRANSPORT 1.1. ADVANTAGES: 1. Less Capital Outlay: Road transport required much less capital Investment as compared to other modes of transport such as railways and air transport. The cost of constructing, operating and maintaining roads is cheaper than that of the railways. Roads are generally constructed by the government and local authorities and only a small revenue is charged for the use of roads. 2. Door to Door Service: The outstanding advantage of road transport is that it provides door to door or warehouse to warehouse service. This reduces loading and unloading expenses. 3. Service in Rural Areas: Road transport is most suited for carrying goods and people to and from rural areas which are not served by rail, water or air transport. Exchange of goods, between large towns and small villages is made possible only through road transport. 4. Flexible Service: Road transport has a great advantage over other modes of transport for its flexible service, its routes and timings can be adjusted and changed to individual requirements without much inconvenience. 5. Suitable for Short Distance: It is more economic and quicker for carrying goods and people over short distances. Delays in transit of goods on account of intermediate loading and handling are avoided. Goods can be loaded direct into a road vehicle and transported straight to their place of destination. 2

3 6. Saving in Packing Cost: As compared to other modes of transport, the process of packing in motor transport is less complicated. Goods transported by motor transport require less packing or no packing in several cases DISADVANTAGES: 1. Seasonal Nature: Motor transport is not as reliable as rail transport. During rainy or flood season, roads become unfit and unsafe for use. 2. Accidents and Breakdowns: There are more chances of accidents and breakdowns in case of motor transport. Thus, motor transport is not as safe as rail transport. 3. Unsuitable for Long Distance and Bulky Traffic: This mode of transport is unsuitable and costly for transporting cheap and bulky goods over long distances. 4. Slow Speed: The speed of motor transport is comparatively slow and limited. 5. Lack of Organization: The road transport is comparatively less organized. More often, it is irregular and undependable. 3

4 2.1. ADVANTAGES: 2. RAILWAY TRANSPORT 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 Organized: The rail transport is better organized 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: 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. 6. Safety: 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. 4

5 2.2. DISADVANTAGES 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. Unsuitable for Short Distance and Small Loads: Railway transport is unsuitable and uneconomical for short distance and small traffic of goods. 5. Booking Formalities: It involves much time and labor in booking and taking delivery of goods through railways as compared to motor transport. 6. 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. 7. Under-utilized Capacity: The railway must have full load for its ideal and economic operation. As it has a very large carrying capacity, under-utilization of its capacity, in most of the regions, is a great financial problem and loss to the economy. 5

6 3.1. ADVANTAGES 3. SEA TRANSPORT 1. Low Cost: Rivers are a natural highway which does not require any cost of construction and maintenance. Even the cost of construction and maintenance of canals is much less or they are used, not only for transport purposes but also for irrigation, etc. Moreover, the cost of operation of the inland water transport is very low. Thus, it is the cheapest mode of transport for carrying goods from one place to another. 2. Larger Capacity: It can carry much larger quantities of heavy and bulky goods such as coal, and, timber etc. 3. Flexible Service: It provides much more flexible service than railways and can be adjusted to individual requirements. 4. Safety: The risks of accidents and breakdowns, in this form of transport, are minimum as compared to any other form of transport DISADVANTAGES 1. Slow: Speed of Inland water transport is very slow and therefore this mode of transport is unsuitable where time is an important factor. 2. Limited Area of Operation: It can be used only in a limited area which is served by deep canals and rivers. 3. Seasonal Character: 6

7 Rivers and canals cannot be operated for transportation throughout the year as water may freeze during winter or water level may go very much down during summer. 4. Unreliable: The inland water transport by rivers is unreliable. Sometimes the river changes its course which causes dislocation in the normal route of the trade. 5. Unsuitable for Small Business: Inland water transport by rivers and canals is not suitable for small traders, as it takes normally a longer time to carry goods from one place to another through this form of transport. 7

8 4. AIR TRANSPORT Air transport is the most recent mode of transport. It is the gift of the 20th century to the world. The two world wars gave a great impetus to the development of air transport in almost all the countries of the world. The peculiar characteristic of air transport is that is does not need a specific surface track for its operations ADVANTAGES 1. High Speed: The supreme advantage of air transport is its high speed. It is the fastest mode of transport and thus it is the most suitable mean where time is an important factor. 2. Comfortable and Quick Services: It provides a regular, comfortable, efficient and quick service 3. No Investment in Construction of Track: It does not require huge capital investment in the construction and maintenance of surface track. 4. No Physical Barriers: It follows the shortest and direct route as seas, mountains or forests do not come in the way of air transport. 5. Easy Access: Air transport can be used to carry goods and people to the areas which are not accessible by other means of transport. 6. Emergency Services: It can operate even when all other means of transport cannot be operated due to the floods or other natural calamities. Thus, at that time, it is the only mode of 8

9 transport which can be employed to do the relief work and provide the essential commodities of life. 7. Most Suitable for Carrying Light Goods of High Value: It is most suitable for carrying goods of perishable nature which require quick delivery and light goods of high value such as diamonds, bullion etc. over long distances DISADVANTAGES In spite of many advantages, air transport has the following limitations: 1. Very Costly: It is the costliest means of transport. The fares of air transport are so high that it is beyond the reach of the common man. 2. Small Carrying Capacity: Its carrying capacity is very small and hence it is not suitable to carry cheap and bulky goods.. 3. Breakdowns and Accidents: The chances of breakdowns and accidents are relatively high as compared to other modes of transport (Sea +Rail). Hence, it involves comparatively greater risk. 4. Large Investment: It requires a large amount of capital investment in the construction and maintenance of aero planes. Further, very trained and skilled persons are required for operating air service. 6. Unsuitable for Cheap and Bulky Goods: Air transport is unsuitable for carrying cheap, bulky and heavy goods because of its limited capacity and high cost. 9

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