Transportation

Engineering
INTRODUCTION
• What is the importance of transportation?

Transportation in general is a very important means to travel from one place to another or for
even delivering important good and products. One of the most essential industries where
transportation plays a major role is the travel and tourism industry.
DEFINITIONS
• Transportation means the movement of the people and other goods from one place to the other.
• Transportation engineering is the branch of engineering which covers the study, design and
construction of roads, railways, water ways and air ways along with bridges, tunnels, stations, harbours, air-
ports etc.
• Transportation system is the back-bone of the overall progress of the country. The economical,
social, commercial and industrial development of the nation is indicated by the transportation facilities.
The sub-branches of transportation engineering are as follows:
1. Road Engineering
2. Highway Engineering
3. Railway Engineering
4. Docks and Harbour Engineering
5. Bridge Engineering.
Modes of Transportation

1. Road Ways - These are the primary and early modes of communication
on the land. They are useful for long as well as short distances. They are
most suitable for light loads and small volumes.
2. Rail Ways - These are similar to road ways but the steel rails are laid along
the route on which the trains run. They are most suitable for long distance
journeys. They can transport heavy and bulky loads.
3. Water Ways - The water ways are the cheapest type of transport due to
absence of any construction or maintenance. They include inland navigation
through lakes, broad canals and deep, perennial rivers. They can transport
heavy and bulky goods through a single carriage.
4. Sea Ways - Sea ways are the cheapest ways of transporting huge quantities of goods over
thousands of kilometres distances. They can transport heavy and bulky goods through seas
and oceans from one harbor to the other. The transport may be for a single country or
between the two countries.
5. Air Ways - Air ways include transport through air by using air crafts such as helicopters,
aeroplanes, jet planes etc. This is the fastest mode of transport. It is used for the transport of
very important persons and valuable goods.
6. Special Ways - Such special ways of transportation of materials for specific purposes are as
follows.
a) Rope Ways and Cable Ways: These methods utilise cable cars and carriages running
through the overhead cables or ropes which hung between the two short distance stations.
They are used for the transportation of men and material in hilly or mountainous areas.
They are also used for the conveyance of sands, stones, coals and mine ores. These
methods are costly. Still they are adopted when other methods are impossible.
b) Belt Conveyors: These are very popular in handling mine ores, coals, grains etc. They can
carry people in the dense traffic and crowded parts of the city.
c) Pipe Lines: Pipe lines are used for the transportation of fluids such as gases, petroleum
products, water sewage etc. they are quite unsuitable for the transport of living beings.