The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Study on freight traffic movement patterns concludes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 02, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Study on freight traffic movement patterns concludes

Staff Reporter

TAMBARAM: A survey conducted as part of the Total Transport System Study being undertaken by the Union Planning Commission concluded on Wednesday.

The objective of the study was to examine the road infrastructure network and study patterns of freight traffic movement all over the country.

The study is being executed by RITES, a government of India enterprise and a consultant for major projects, particularly those of the Indian Railways.

In Tamil Nadu, RITES is conducting the study through the Highways Research Station of the State Highways Department.

63 locations

Senior engineers of the Department said the study began on May 23 and was conducted in 63 locations on major national highways and state highways in the State.

Of these locations, 11 were in Chennai and Coimbatore region, where the study was conducted for a week. At other locations, the study was conducted for two days, the engineers said.

In Chromepet, enumerators, under the guidance of the Highways engineers, were seen taking a census of all vehicles, apart from distributing questionnaires to truck drivers and eliciting responses from them.

Three core issues

Engineers said the study aimed at finding out three issues — origin and destination of goods, operating cost of the vehicle and the traffic volume.

The study also sought to find out the pattern in movement of freight traffic, the fares charged, expenses incurred, storage facilities for goods among other aspects.

The findings of the study would be consolidated and handed over to RITES, which, in turn, would submit the same to the Planning Commission.

The findings, engineers said, would be used as inputs to create facilities to store goods apart from devising means for optimum usage of road transport network for freight traffic.

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