TRANSPORT
INTRODUCTION AN efficient and well-developed system of transport and communi- cations is vital to the success of a plan of economic development, which lays stress on rapid industrialisation. In the past, the domi- nant considerations in the development of transport and communications in the country were trade and administration; but since the second world war the transport system has been, increasingly oriented to serve the needs of industrial development The second plan will carry this process much further. The amount allotted for transport and communications in the second plan is Rs. 1385 crores or about 29 per cent of the total outlay in the public sector. Considering the heavy demands that will be made on the country's means of transport and communications, it is felt that even larger resources than those allocated could he utilized for this sector with profit to the nation- al economy. The allotment had, however, to be limited in view of other pressing claims on the available resources. Of the total amount of Rs. 1385 crores set apart for transport and communications, Rs. 900 crores are provided for railways, Rs. 266 crores for roads. road transport and tourism, Rs. 100 crores for shipping, ports and har- bours, light houses and inland water transport, Rs. 43 crores for civil air transport and Rs. 76 crores for communications and broadcasting.
2. In the first five, year plan the principal task in the field of transport was to rehabilitate, to the extent possible the assets which during the preceding decade had been subjected to unprecedented strain. The task was particularly heavy in the case of the railways; but large amounts had also to be set apart for the rehabilitation of shipping, ports and harbours, light houses and civil air transport. During the first plan, as agricultural and industrial production increased, the pressure on the transport system began to be felt especially from the third year of the plan. To meet this situation, additional allotments were made for railways, roads. shipping, river and air transport and the programmes were stepped up. The programme for the procurement of rolling stock for railways was accelerated and special measures were undertaken to augment line capacity over the more difficult sections. An interdepartmental study group examined questions relating to the coordinated development of all means of transport and, in particular, of road transport which of late had failed to respond adequately to growing needs. Measures to liberalise licensing policies and remove other obstacles hampering the develop- ment of road transport in the private sector have been pursued. Steps have also been taken to assist Indian shipping.
3. While the task of rehabilitation still remains to be com- pleted, the second plan envisages substantial expansion of the country's means of transport, especially railways, which must inevita- bly continue to move the largest part of the traffic. The railway expansion has to be closely integrated with programmes of industrial development, particularly of major industries like steel, coal and cement. The second plan also seeks to provide for better coordination between the various means of transport. To and increasing extent it is proposed to secure the participation of railways in road transport undertakings in the State sector. Problems of co-ordination between railways and coastal shipping on the one band and between railways and inland river transport on the other, are, receiving attention. Thus, the plan envisages development to the maximum extent possible of all important means of transport in the country and their proper co-ordi- nation with a view to entrusting to each the tasks which it is best suited to carry out. The essence of the situation is that heavy demands are likely to be made on all the transport services during the next five years. It is proposed to review the programmes for trans- port. and communications from year to year so that wherever necessary, additional steps can be taken to ensure that transport bottle-necks do not jeopardise the implementation of plans in other sectors.
I
RAILWAYS 4. Indian Railways represent a total capital investment of about Rs. 974 crores and are the largest national undertaking. With- out doubt they are among the main foundations an which the national economy rests They provide a service which must be safe, economical and efficient. In their operation
241
242
SECOND FIVE YEAR PLAN
railways have always to keep abreast of modem scientific and techno- logical developments. Diesel and electric motive power, improved types of steam locomotives, improved designs of wagons and coaches and improved signalling and telecommunication equipment have to be em- ployed to an increasing extent in order to secure economy and effi- ciency. Improvements along these lines to be undertaken in the second plan should lead to the operation of longer, heavier and, to the extent necessary, faster trains, thus securing fuller use of line capacity and rolling stock. It will be necessary also, as resources permit, to open up several parts of the country which are at present without adequate railway communications.
PROGRESS DURING THE FIRST PLAN 5. The first five year plan had been preceded by more than a decade of the most severe strain on the railway system. The plan had, therefore, to be devoted mainly to the rehabilitation and modernisa- tion of rolling stock and of fixed assets. Other objects of the plan were to create, as far as possible, additional facilities for meeting some of the new needs which would arise from the implementation of schemes of production and development and to provide better amenities for the travelling public and better housing and welfare for the staff. These aims have been pursued steadily throughout the period of the first plan. Against the original allotment of Rs. 400 crores, including Rs. 150 crores on account of current depreciation, the total expenditure on the railway programmes in the five years of the plan is expected to be of the order of Rs.432 crores. The increase in expend- iture has been due largely to the stepping up of the rolling stock programme during the past two or three years. The increased procure- ments of rolling stock accompanied by special measures designed to improve the utilisation of stock and to augment line capacity enabled the railways to step up loadings substantially, especially during the second half of the plan period. Thus, between 1953-54 and 1954-55, the traffic carried by railways, in terms of tons originating, in- creased by about 8 per cent. and it is estimated that in the last year of the plan it will have increased further by about 9 per cent. The volume of traffic offering, however, has increased more rapidly than the capacity of the railways to carry it and if the average rate of daily loadings has risen, the outstanding registrations have risen at an even greater rate.
6. Details of the estimated outlay under different heads during the first five year plan are set out below:,
(Rs. crores)
Allocation Total
Rehabilitation and additions envisaged outlay
in the plan
1. Rolling stock, plant and machinery 207-96 253.44
2. Track and Bridges 70.47 64.41
3. Other structural and engineering
works including Integral Coach
Factory, Chittaranjan Loco Works
and Ganga Bridge Project, Collie-
ries and Parts. . . . . 45.90 49-96
4. Restoration of dismantled lines. new
fines and electrification 34.18 33.20
5. Passenger amenities 15.00 13.29
6. Staff quarters and staff welfare
works 24.09 20.52
7. Miscellaneous items 2.40 -2.75**
TOTAL 400.00 432.07
**The reduction is on account of decrease in stores balances and
credit taken for released materials and other recoveries.
7. Rolling stock.- At the commencement of the first five year plan, Indian railways had 8209 locomotives, 19,225 coaches and 222,4411 wagons+ on the line. Of these, 2112 locomotives, 7011 coach- es and 39,584 wagons were over-aged and required replacement. The plan provided for the procurement of 1038 locomotives, 5674 coaches and 49,143 wagons. The programme for locomotives and wagons, however, was stepped up later. It is expected that new stock to the extent shown below will have been received by the end of the first plan period :
Indian imports Total
manufacture
Locomotives 496 1,093 1,589
Coaches 4351 486 4,837
Wagons 41,192 20,521 61,713
The new stock received during the plan period has been used in part for the replacement of over-aged stock which could no longer be kept in service. The stock on line at the end of the first plan will be 9262 locomotives, 23,779 coaches and 266,049 wagons. Of these 2813 locomotives, 6305 coaches and 49,568 wagons will be over-aged and due for replacement. Thus, despite large-scale procurement in recent years, there will be heavy arrears of replacement to be overtaken during the period of the second plan. Considerable efforts have been made to achieve a larger measure of self-sufficiency in regard to rolling stock.
243
TRANSPORT
The indigenous production of wagons was increased from 3707 in 1951-52 to 13,526 in 1955-56 and of coaches from 673 to 1260. The Chittaranjan Locomotive Works will have produced during the plan period 337 locomotives as against the original target of 268. The production of metre gauge locomotives by the Tata Locomotive and Engineering Company was increased from 10 in 1951-52 to 50 in 1955-56. The Integral Coach Factory at Perambur, Madras, was completed during the plan period and went into production in October 1955.
8. New lines, restoration of dismantled lines and electrifica- tion. During the period of the plan 430 miles of lines dismantled during the war have been restored; 380 miles of new lines constructed and 46 miles of narrow gauge lines converted into metre gauge. At the end of the first plan 454 miles of new lines were under construction and 52 miles of narrow gauge lines were in the course of conversion into broad gauge. Construction work on electrification in the Calcut- ta suburban area commenced during the plan period and the first phase of the project is likely to be completed by 1958.
The renewal of obsolete track has proceeded somewhat slowly on account of shortage of materials. The mileage under speed restriction on account of the poor condition of the track is- however, expected to be reduced from 3000 as in 1950-51 to 1784 by the end of the plan period.
9. Structural engineering works.- Special attention has been given in recent years to the development of line capacity. Priority in this programme was accorded to sections where the demand had great- ly outstripped the available capacity and both long-term and short- term measures were adopted to develop capacity. The programme in- cluded lengthening of crossing loops to enable longer goods trains to be run, provision of additional crossing stations and loops, improve- ment in yard facilities, extension of transhipment yards and improve- ment of signalling. As a result of these measures substantial in- creases in capacity have been effected over various sections, notable among these being Madras-Bezwada, Kharagpur-Waltair, Jhajha- Moghalsarai, Allahabad-Kanpur, Ratlam-Godhra, Bhusaval-Surat, Ahmedabad-Kalol and Sini-Gomharria. Transhipment facilities have been, substantially augmented at Manduadih, Sawai-Madhopur, Sabarmati, Viramgam, Ghorpuri, Guntakal, Bangalore and Arkonam. Among the major yards which have been re-modelled are those at Bezwada and Ratlam.
TARGETS FOR THE SECOND PLAN 10. The rehabilitation and modernisation of railway assets. both mobile and immobile, have to be continued during the second plan so as to reduce the proportion of over-aged stock retained in service and to facilitate the removal of speed restrictions in force over obsolete portions of the track. At the same time increases in line capacity and rolling stock have to be planned to meet the greater demand for rail transport which will arise from increased production in various sectors. The targets adopted for agriculture, coal, mineral ores, iron and steel, cement, fertilisers, heavy and light machinery and consumer goods have been set out in earlier chapters. The plan of development for the railways has been prepared with these targets in view, but there will be need for constant review and adjustments in order to keep pace with changes which may occur as different parts of the national plan are fulfilled.
11. In the light of the production targets of the second plan, the additional goods traffic requiring to be handled has been assessed as follows:
Additional
originating
traffic
9 (million tons)
Coal 20.0
Steel and raw materials for steel
plants 18.0
(increase in pig
iron and steel
production equ-
als 5 million
tons.)
Cement **5.0
Total for specific increases 43.0
Increase in miscellaneous traffic
at the rate of 5 per cent per
annum i. e. 25 per cent during
the plan 17.8
60.8
The railways are expected to carry 115 million tons of originat- ing traffic in 1955-56 against an estimated demand of 120 million tons, leaving a gap of 5 million tons, which, however, is expected to be covered as a result of measures which have been already undertaken. Taking into account the additional traffic of 60.8 million tons which is expected to arise by the end of the second plan, the total traffic requiring to be handled by 1960-61 will be 180.8 million tons. It is felt that with the resources so far allocated for railway development. the rail Ways may not be in a position to carry all this traffic and that the facilities provided by them may
**The target for increse in production of cement has since been revised upwards. In deciding on the location of new factories the impact on rail transport in each case will have to be carefully exam- ined. It may be possible to divert some of the additional production to movement by coastal shipping or by road.
244
fall short of requirements by about 10 per cent. in respect of rolling stock and by about 5 per cent. in respect of line capacity. A certain measure of relief may, however, be expected from the retention of replaced stock found in serviceable condition. The position will be kept under review and such adjustments as are necessary in the railway plan will be made in the light of developments in other sectors.
12. In regard to passenger services, the plan provides for an increase of 3 per cent. per annum or of 15 per cent. over five years. This will not help much to relieve over-crowding, if passenger traffic continues to grow at the current rates. Requirements of goods traffic will be more pressing during the second plan and some degree of pas- senger over-crowding has to be accepted. In this connection, however, the possibility of a larger proportion of passenger traffic being carried by road transport has to be taken into account.
13. Owing to the limited funds available, the plan does not provide for the construction of new lines to open up parts of the country at present unserved by railways. The provision in the plan for new lines is confined to lines required for operational purposes and for the new industrial projects.
OUTLAY UNDER THE SECOND PLAN 14. The plan allots Rs. 900 crores for railway development in addition to contributions to the Railway Depreciation Fund which are estimated at Rs. 225 crores. The railways are expected to provide Rs. 150 crores from their own revenues towards the planned outlay and it is proposed that the remaining Rs. 750 crores should be made available from the general revenues. The magnitude of resources to be provided for the programme of the railways for the second five year plan has received close study and attention. The draft plan which the Ministry of Railways had prepared in line with developments anticipated in other sectors, involved a total outlay of Rs. 1480 crores. After taking into consideration foreign exchange requirements, uncertainties concerning the supply of steel, priorities within the railway plan and the claims of other sectors, the estimates have been substantially reduced. In determining the minimum allocations needed by the rail- ways, the requirements of increased traffic have been the principal guiding factor. Suitable adjustments have been made in the programme for augmenting the capacity of the railways to handle increased traf- fic so as to economise capital investment to the extent possible. Thus, over certain sections of the railway system it was agreed to substitute dieselisation for electrification. Similarly, over select- ed sections instead of doubling of the entire lengths of lines which had reached saturation partial doubling has been provided for. The programmes for renewal of obsolete track and replacement of overaged stock have been curtailed and the intention is to continue using the replaced stock found in serviceable condition and thus to make the limited allotment for railways go so far as possible in fulfilling the targets of the plan. The railway plan now provides for doubling of 1607 miles of track, conversion of 265 miles of metre gauge lines into broad gauge, electrification over sections totalling 826 miles and dieselisation over 1293 miles, construction of 842 miles of new lines, renewal of 8000 miles of obsolete track and procurement of 2258 loco- motives, 107,247 wagons and 11,364 coaches. The statement below gives the distribution of the total amount of Rs. 1125 crores over the various programmes included. in the railway plan.
(Rs. in crores)
Provision
1. Rolling stock 380
2. Workshops, plant and machinery 65
3 Track renewals 100
4. Bridge works 33
Rehabilitation 18
Ganga Bridge 9
New Bridges 6
5. Line capacity works including expansion of
goods sheds 186
6. Signalling and safety works 25
7. Electrification 80
8. New constructions 66
9. Staff welfare and staff quarters 50
10. Stores depots 7
11. Training schools 3
12. Railway users' amenities 15
13. Other projects including Vizagapatnam
port 15
14. Railways' share in road transport under-
takings 10
15. Stores suspense 50
16. extra for imported steel** 40
TOTAL 1,125
15. Of the total outlay, approximately Rs. 425 crores will be required in terms of foreign exchange. The foreign exchange require- ments for different programmes are shown below:
(Rs. crores)
Locomotives 81
Other Rolling Stock 82
Other Equipment 125
Steel 137
TOTAL 425
**To be obatained by the Railways from outside the Equalisation Pool.