Transportation can be explained as moving goods and passengers from one location
to another location. Transportation is an essential service not only for the business
activities but also for the development of the entire society. Nowadays, business
activities have become efficient due to the development in the transportation services.
Elements of transportation
Transportation is not just a fleet of
vehicles. It is a system that consists of
several elements. Those elements are
given below.
# The way
# Transportation medium
# Power
# Terminal
Road transportation
This means the transportation done using roads on the land. The road system has an
important place within the transportation system of Sri Lanka. The transportation
using roads has following advantages and disadvantages compared to other ways
of transportations.
Advantages of road transportation
1. Can be used up to the destination - Road transportation is the transportation way which can be used up to the
destination.
2. Can be used at any time - Businessmen as well as individuals can use roads for transportation at any
time of the day.
Disadvantages of road transportation
1. Delays due to traffic congestion - Delays can occur due to road traffic
because of the large number of
vehicles.
2. Relatively a higher rate of accidents
on the roads - Since some drivers do not obey road
rules, there is a high risk of have
road traffic accidents.
3. Impact on the environment - Environmental pollution occurs due to the gasses emitted and other solid
wastes from vehicles.
Railway transportation
Railway transportation is the movement of goods and passengers using rail roads. The railway
transportation has following advantages and disadvantages compared to other
transportation ways.
Advantages of railway transportation
1. Ability to transport a heavy load of goods and passengers at once - Since rail way transportation can utilize a greater number of rail road cars.
It has a high capacity to transport passengers and goods in one instance
compared to road transport.
2. Special transport services for long distances - These trains provide special facilities such as observation cars, sleeping
cars, air conditioned cars and restaurants etc.
3. No traffic on the railway roads - There is no traffic congestion on rail way roads since trains run according to a
time table and only a limited number of trains are available.
Disadvantages of railway transportation
1. Often cannot be used up to the destination - Since rail way lines are not spread across the island cannot be used up to the
destination. Therefore, another transportation medium has to be coupled
with the rail way transportation.
2. Passengers cannot use rail way services at any time they require since trains run
only according to a time table.
3. If an accident occurs, it takes a long time to restore the rail ways - Compared to other ways break down in signal posts, rail way roads or any
delays arising due to other road accidents consumes a long time to restore.
Air way transportation
Air way transportation is the movement of goods and passengers via air ways.
A country use air transportation for both internal and international transportation
activities.
The air way transportation has following advantages and disadvantages in
comparison to other transportation ways.
Advantages of air way transportation
1. Comparatively high speed - It is suitable for transporting perishable goods. In addition, any individual
such as businessmen, government officials often use air transportation when
they want to go abroad for urgent matters.
2. Higher comfort for passengers - Passengers are facilitated with comfortable seats, television and internet
facilities while traveling.
3. Facilitate international trade - Facilitates in obtaining required raw materials and finished goods for
businesses and distributing local goods to global markets.
Disadvantages of air way transportation
1. High cost for transportation - Air way transportation cost is
comparatively higher than the cost of
other transportation ways.
2. Severity of an accident is high - If an accident occurs on the air ways,
the severity of the damage is high.
3. Cannot transport heavy goods - Often it cannot be used for transporting heavy goods.
Water ways transportation
This is the transportation done using water ways such as oceans, rivers and canals
etc. Water ways transportation can be used for both internal as well as international
transportation activities of a country. In some countries uses ocean transportation
more commonly.
The water ways transportation has following advantages and
disadvantages compared to other transportation ways.
Advantages of water ways transportation
1. Can transport a large quantity of goods and passengers in one instance - Transportation mediums such as ships and
rafts can transport a load of goods and
passengers at once.
2. Comparatively lower cost of transportation - Cost of transportation is lower when compared
to air way transportation.
3. Facilitate international trade - The development of ocean transportation has
facilitated the growth of international trade.
4. Can transport heavy goods - Ships can transport heavy goods in large quantities compared to air ways
transportation.
Disadvantages of water ways transportation
1. Time consuming for transporting goods - Since the speed of ships is low, it consumes a long time to transport to
distant destination.
2. Inability to reach every destination - As certain countries and certain areas in the world are not connected to an
ocean, this transportation method cannot be used.
