What are the disadvantages of railway .
Answer in brief
Answers
Explanation:
Railway transport has the following disadvantages:
The cost of construction, maintenance and overhead expenses are very high as compared to other modes of transport. Moreover, the investments are specific and immobile. In case the traffic is not sufficient, the investments may mean wastage of huge resources.
Answer:
i. The railway requires a large investment of capital. The cost of construction, maintenance and overhead expenses are very high as compared to other modes of transport. Moreover, the investments are specific and immobile. In case the traffic is not sufficient, the investments may mean wastage of huge resources.
ii. Another disadvantages of railway transport is its inflexibility. It routes and timings cannot be adjusted to individual requirements.
iii. Rail transport cannot provide door to door service as it is tied to a particular track. Intermediate loading or unloading involves greater cost, more wear and tear and wastage of time. The time cost of terminal operations are a great disadvantage of rail transport.
iv. As railways require huge capital outlay, they may give rise to monopolies and work against public interest at large. Even if controlled and managed by the government, lack of competition may breed in inefficiency and high costs.
v. Railway transport is unsuitable and uneconomical for short distances and small traffic of goods.
vi. It involves much time and labour in booking and taking delivery of goods through railways ascompared to motor transport.
vii. Because of huge capital requirements and traffic, railways cannot be operated economically in rural areas. Thus, large rural areas have no railway even today. This causes much inconvenience to the people living in rural areas.