Multi-modal integration: The key to transforming India’s transport systems

In India, urbanisation is increasing rapidly, offering economic opportunities across various sectors. This leads to domestic immigration of the working-class population to these urban centres, boosting its productivity, further leading to more economic activity through the establishment of more business centres and markets.

This development cycle, through an analysis of its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), shows that urban centres are the engines of economic growth, and their contributions to GDP will continue to grow.

However, the needs of a rising population in an urban landscape must be met. Rapid urbanisation means more pressure on infrastructure, increasing congestion, rising pollution and unmanageable urban sprawl. In the last few decades, governments have tried to meet the increasing travel demand.

But the pace of rising demand has consistently beaten the rate of infrastructure development. Ever-rising transport demand which corresponds with economic growth has been difficult to meet in the absence of integrated planning of land use and transport.