Chapter I -[4 hours]

• Introduction to Transportation Planning and

Engineering

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 CHAPTER OUTLINES
1.1 Modes of transportation: Highways, Railways and
waterways.
1.2 Comparison between various modes of transportation and
constraint on their development in Nepal.
1.3 Approach to road planning: establishing economic and
environmental viability, evaluating alternatives, people’s
participation in planning and decision making.
1.4 Historical development of roads and road construction
in Nepal
1.5 Classification of roads: based on volume and based on
locations.
1.6 National road network, City or local networks, and ring
roads.

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 Introduction to Transportation Planning and
Engineering
• Transportation System:
– Application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional
design operation and management of facilities for any mode of transportation to
provide the safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical and
environmentally compatible movement of people and goods
– ITE (Institute of transportation Engineers)

Concern with :
• Passenger Transportation and
• Freight Transportation

• Role of Transportation in Society

– Economic role
– Social role
– Political role
– Environmental role

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• Components of Transportation
System
– Fixed Facilities
• E.g. railway track, roads, airport,
etc
– Flow Entities
• E.g. vehicles, railway locomotives,
aircrafts
– Control System
• E.g. traffic light at intersection,
road signs and
markings, air traffic control etc.

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• Characteristics of transportation system
– Multi model
• i.e. cover all mode of transport both for passenger and freight
– Multi sector
• Composed of govt. private, public etc
– Multi problem
• Includes national & international policy issues, financial issue,
management issues etc.
– Multi objective
• Aiming at national & regional economic development,
environmental and social quality, etc.
– Multi disciplinary
• Depends upon theories and method of engineering economics,
operations research, political and social science, psychology,
management and law, etc.
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• Scope of Transportation Engineering
1. Transportation Planning
– Deals with the development of action plan for the design,
construction and operation of transportation facilities
2. Geometric Design
– Includes cross sectional features, horizontal and vertical
alignment and intersection design
3. Pavement Design
– Deals with structural design of flexible and rigid pavement
– Design mainly cover:
• Structural aspect -> strength
• Functional aspect -> riding quality
• Drainage -> to protect pavement from damage due to water
infiltration

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4. Traffic Engineering
– Focus on the public safety, efficient use of transport resources and the
mobility of people and goods

5. Materials, construction and maintenance

– Highway materials and mix design; highway construction; earth work;
construction of different type of pavements;
pavement failures; maintenance of pavements and drainage system.

6. Others
– Public transportation -> focus on urban travel by bus and rail transit
– Finance and economic analysis -> for saving travel time and quantify the
return from project
– EIA -> identify impacts and tries to develop strategies for its mitigation
– Accident analysis and reduction ->looks for causes of accident from
different perspective and formulates plans for reduction
– ITS -> helps to operate transportation system much effectively with
significant reduction in the adverse impacts of transportation
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 Transportation System Classification

I. Primary modes of transportation

• Land Transportation: a. Highways b. Railways
• Air Transportation: a. Domestic b. International
• Water Transportation: a. Inland b. Coastal
c. Ocean

II. Secondary modes of transportation

• Ropeways (Cable based cabin)
• Pipe lines (Water, gas, sewer)
• Canal (Irrigation, water drainage)
• Belt Conveyors
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Aviation (Airways)
• Advantages:
– Improves accessibility to otherwise inaccessible areas.
– Provides connectivity over land and water (no change of equipment)
– Saves productive time spent on journey.
– Relief and rescue operation.
– Maximum speed: Modern jet can travel at 1000 km/h.
– Safest mode of Transportation.

• Disadvantages:
– Heavy funds are required, not only initially but also during operation.
– Operations are highly dependent upon weather conditions.
– High energy consumptions.
– High safety provisions are required.
– Noise pollutions.
– Highly sophisticated instruments and machinery are needed.
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Railways -> Trains move on the steel
tracks laid on the ground resulting
in heavy expenditure on basic
infrastructure.
• Advantages
– Trains move at much higher speed than pneumatic type vehicle
on modern highways.
– Steel tracks can take three to four times heavier axle loads than
roads.
– The energy required to haul a unit load through a unit distance
by railways is about 16% on comparison to road transport.
– Overall cost (initial cost, operating cost and maintenance cost) is
less than that for roadways.
– No steering required to control the movement.
– Safe in comparison to road transport.

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• Disadvantages
– Huge investment of capital.
– It cannot provide a door to door service.
– need huge man power for the proper functioning.
– Routes and timings cannot be adjusted to individual
requirements.
– unsuitable and uneconomical for short distances and small
traffic of goods.
– Because of huge capital requirements and traffic, railways
cannot be operated economically in rural areas.
– The ruling gradient for railways in plains is 1 in 150 to 1 in 200
and in hilly regions is 1 in 100 to 1 in 150. The steeper gradient
needs more powerful locomotives, smaller train loads, lower
speeds resulting in costly hauling

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Road Transport
• Advantages of Road Transport
• Wide geographical coverage.
• Large influence area
• Low capital investment
• Door to door service
• Flexibility
• Quick and assured deliveries
• Highest employment potential
• Low cost packaging
• Personalized travel and service
• Economy
• Overall development of the country

• Disadvantages of Road transportation

• Land coverage
• Environmental pollution
• Rate of accident is high
• Energy consumption
• Uneconomical (due to accident and
environmental effect)
• Delay and congestion (Problem of
motorization)
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• Waterways
– Water transport is the process of transport
that a watercraft, such as boats and ship,
makes over a body of water, such as a sea,
ocean, lake, canal or river.
– If a boat or other vessel can successfully pass
through a waterway it is known as a navigable
waterway.
– Although it is slow, modern sea transport is a
highly effective method of transporting large
quantities of non- perishable (fresh) goods.
– Transport by water is significantly less costly
than air transport for transcontinental
shipping.

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Other Modes of Transport
• Pipeline transport -> sends goods through a pipe, most
commonly liquid and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes can
also send solid capsules using compressed air. For
liquids/gases, any chemically stable liquid or gas can be sent
through a pipeline.

• Cable transport / Ropeway is a broad mode where vehicles

are pulled by cables instead of an internal power source.
– It is most commonly used at steep gradient.
– Ropeway is the oldest transportation system.
– Tuins are the example of ropeway in Nepal.
Present scenario:
• Passenger Ropeway -2 no. -> Kurintar, Chandragiri
• 23 Gravity Goods ropeway

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• Spaceflight is transport
out of Earth's atmosphere
into outer space by
means of a spacecraft.
While large amounts of
research have gone into
technology, it is rarely
used except to put
satellites into orbit, and
conduct scientific
experiments.

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Constraints on the development of Road Transportation in Nepal

• Difficult geographical condition (Hilly and mountainous)

• Poor geological condition ( unstable soil, landslide etc)
• Hydrological (River system)
– number of river crossings
– run-off is very high in monsoon and velocity is high
– Lack of financial resources
– Technological development.

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Constraints on the development of other modes of transportation in
Nepal
 Railways:
• Initial investment is high
• Geographical condition
• Technological development(lack of experience)

 Waterways:
• (Nepal is land-lock country so only inland transportation is possible)
• High velocity of water in monsoon period
• Water level in rivers

 Airways:
• Transportation cost is very high and not affordable for each people.
• Only for small aircraft/ helicopters.

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 (Assignment 1)
• Comparison between various modes of transportation.

Mode: Railways: Waterways: Land ways Airways:

factors
Safety
Speed
Economy /cost of construction
Comfort
Energy

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• Transportation Planning:
– Planning may be defined as: -> activity or process
that examines the potential of future action to
guide a situation or system towards a desired
direction
– Transportation system requires a continuous
planning to optimally satisfy the mobility
requirement of the society
– Utilized the available resources in the best
possible way and in a systematic manner.

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 Changed
Land-use

Increased Increased
land value trip generation

Increased Greater traffic

Accessibility needs

Added Transport
facilities

Fig. 1.1 Land-use Transport Cycle

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 • Types of Planning: Short and Medium Term Planning
1. Short • Less complex
2. Medium • Put no great demand on construction
activity
3. Long
• Concerned with obtaining optimum
operation with existing facilities

Long Term Planning

System Approach: -> decision
• Complex problem and put
making process for solving
greater demand
complex problem and
• Required huge financial
composed of :
expenditure and system
approach for desired solution 1. System Analysis
2. System Engineering

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• System Analysis:
– Clear evaluation of problem, forces and strategies needed for
achievement of objectives
• System Engineering:
– Organizing and scheduling the complex strategies and includes
following:
• Tackling the problem considering all the facts
• Use of scientific methods
• Working as per predetermined sequence
• Scientific Decision

• In dealing with the long term transportation planning

three basic elements should be considered:
– Forecasting Demand
– Description of economic, social and environmental changes
– Evaluation of system in terms of benefits and loss
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 Models used for
Land Use Transport model is
Divided into two phases Transportation Planning
1. Calibration Phase • Population Model
• models are built and • Economic activity Model
tested using data from a
• Land Use Model
base period
2. Projection Phase • 4 steps Modelling
• Developed models are
used to determine  Trip Generation Model
future transport  Trip Distribution Model
demand based on socio-  Model Split Model
economic projection for  Traffic Assignment Model
a design year

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