Mumbai, Maharashtra's capital city, is India's largest city and its financial capital. Maharashtra has three modes of public transportation: road, rail and air. The state has two major ports, both in the Mumbai region: Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) and Mumbai Port Trust.
In rural areas of Maharashtra, walking remains a common mode of transport. In large cities, such as Mumbai and Pune, skywalks have been proposed or are under construction to enhance pedestrian safety and convenience; the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has begun construction of more than 50 such skywalks.[1][2]
There is a high level of bicycle ownership in the state. Along with walking, cycling accounts for a significant number of commuter trips in rural and urban areas Pune was long known as the bicycle city of India. During the 1970s, bicycles began to be replaced by motorcycles. To combat pollution and ease traffic congestion, government development authorities are encouraging the use of separate bicycle lanes next to motor traffic.
Animal powered
Bullock cart hauling sugarcane
Bullock carts have historically been the most common mode of transport in Maharashtra for goods and, to a lesser extent, for people. They are still used in rural areas for transporting goods to homes and farms, or for transporting produce such as sugarcane to a mill.[3]Khillari cattle have been the most popular for use as oxen.[4]
Horses (riding and draft), donkeys, and elephants are other animals which have been used in the region for transport. The indigenous Bhimthadi horse was popular for riding at the time of the Maratha Empire.[5][6] During the British colonial era, the horse-drawn Tanga and Victoria were popular modes of transport in urban areas. They began to be replaced by motorized, three-wheeled auto rickshaws for intermediate public transport during the 1960s. Donkeys are still used on building sites for carrying sand, but (unlike the Middle East) are not used for riding.
Road transport
At 267,452 kilometres (166,187 mi), Maharashtra has India's largest road network.[7] Seventeen national highways connect Maharashtra to six neighbouring states.[8] The state's national highways are 4,688 kilometres (2,913 mi) long.[9] Maharashtra also has a large state-highway network; in March 2018, 99.5 percent of the state's villages were connected by all-weather roads. The Yeshwantrao Chavan Mumbai-Pune Expressway, India's first controlled-accesstoll road, becamee fully operational in April 2002.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has been providing public-sector road passenger service since 1948, linking most of the state's towns and villages in a large network. These buses, popularly known as ST (State Transport), are the preferred mode of transport for much of Maharashtra's population. In addition to the government-run buses, private luxury buses serve major population centres. Other modes of public road transport, such as the seven-seat Tempo, have become popular in semi-urban areas. The Bandra Worli sea link is one of the longest bridges in the country. It was opened in 2009. The Trans Harbour bridge is the longest bridge in India and it will be opened on 12 January 2024, after the prime minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurates the bridge. It connects Bombay with Navi Mumbai. [10][11]
Rail transport is primarily provided by Indian Railways, part of the Ministry of Railways and divided into eighteen zones.[12] IR is sub-divided into sixty-seven divisions, each with a divisional headquarters.[13][14]
Maharashtra is connected to other parts of India with a 5,983-kilometre (3,718 mi) rail network, and contains many IR zone and division headquarters:
A rail tunnel under the sea is planned. It will link the UAE with the western coast of India. The tunnel will be supported by pontoons and will be nearly 2000 kilometres in length.[17][18]
Civil aviation in Maharashtra began in the 1920s with Juhu Aerodrome, one of India's first and a base for J. R. D. Tata's Tata Airlines during the 1930s. The maharaja of Kolhapur State built an airfield in Kolhapur in 1939, and offered a subsidy to Air Services of India[19] to operate air service to Juhu.[20] Small airstrips had been built by the 1940s at Phaltan, Sangli, Akola and Gondia[21] in addition to larger airfields at Santacruz, Pune and Nagpur, built by the Indian Air Force and also used for civil aviation. During the 1980s and 1990s, Vayudoot served ten airports in the state.
The ports on the Konkan coast have historically been the gateway to the Deccan Plateau. Although most have diminished in importance, they remain fishing ports. Maharashtra's two principal ports, Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (also in the Mumbai region), are controlled by the government of India.[28] There are about 50 minor ports in Maharashtra;[29] most handle passenger traffic, with limited capacity. None of the state's major rivers are navigable.
^R.R. Bhandari (2005). Indian Railways: Glorious 150 years. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. pp. 44–52. ISBN978-81-230-1254-4.
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