India is set to establish a federal Transport Planning Authority aimed at enhancing infrastructure development across various sectors, including aviation, highways, shipping, railways, and urban transport. This initiative seeks to address inefficiencies stemming from fragmented planning and is expected to work closely with the Prime Minister’s Office. Approval from the Cabinet is anticipated within the next three to six months.
As the most populous nation strives to achieve developed status by 2047, it is investing heavily in new airports, expressways, metro lines, and ports. However, this rapid expansion has often resulted in underutilized assets, duplicated efforts, and budget overruns. The new authority aims to tackle these challenges by ensuring that projects are financially viable, aligned, and delivered on time.
Drawing inspiration from international models like Seoul’s Metropolitan Transport Commission and London’s Transport for London, the proposed body will facilitate coordinated infrastructure investments across various ministries while aligning project planning with actual demand. The initiative builds on the PM Gati Shakti program, which, although helpful for project mapping, has not effectively achieved comprehensive planning.
India’s current fragmented approach has led to significant mismatches, with several airports and metro systems underperforming. By creating a unified Transport Planning Authority, the government aims to replace siloed decision-making with a more coordinated, demand-driven planning process, enhancing both economic efficiency and public value in infrastructure investments.
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