India’s Transport Infra Soars with 60% Highway Growth
India’s transportation infrastructure has undergone a massive transformation in the last decade, fueled by strategic initiatives such as PM GatiShakti, the National Logistics Policy, and Bharatmala. A recent official report highlights the rapid growth in key sectors like highways, railways, ports, and aviation, driven by substantial investments from the Indian government. The PM GatiShakti national master plan, launched in 2021, unified planning across 44 ministries and 36 states to ensure synchronised development across multimodal infrastructure. The report underscores that India’s national highways network expanded by 60%, from 91,287 km to 146,204 km, with the construction pace accelerating to 34 km per day from just 11.6 km in 2014.
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Massive Investments in Railways and Ports
In the railway sector, India has seen an extraordinary nine-fold increase in investments since 2014. The introduction of 68 Vande Bharat semi-high-speed trains, with plans for an additional 400, showcases India’s commitment to modernising its rail network. Over 31,000 km of new tracks have been laid, and electrification has skyrocketed from 5,188 route km in 2004-2014 to over 45,000 km by 2025, ensuring annual savings of Rs 2,960 crore. Meanwhile, in the maritime sector, port capacity has doubled to 2,762 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA), and the overall turnaround time for ships has improved significantly, from 93 hours to 49 hours. The completion of the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, inaugurated in May 2025, is a landmark achievement, set to boost Kerala's economy and reduce India's dependence on foreign ports.
Aviation and Logistic Upgrades Propel Economic Growth
The report also highlights the surge in investment for India’s aviation sector, with key projects under the UDAN scheme enhancing connectivity across regions. With investments in ports and railways continuing at an unprecedented pace, India’s infrastructure overhaul is poised to drive economic growth, positioning the country as a major global transport hub by 2047.
