Transport

Uttarakhand has 28,508 km of roads, of which 1,328 km are national highways and 1,543 km are state highways. The State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC), which has been reorganized in Uttarakhand as the "Uttarakhand Transport Corporation", is a major constituent of the transportation system in the state. The Corporation began to work on 31 October 2003 and provides services on interstate and nationalized routes. As of 2012, approximately 1000 buses are being plied by the "Uttarakhand Transport Corporation" on 35 nationalized routes along with many other non-nationalized routes. There are also private transport operators operating approximately 3000 buses on non-nationalised routes along with a few interstate routes in Uttarakhand and the neighbouring state of U.P. For travelling locally, the state, like most of the country, has auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws. In addition, remote towns and villages in the hills are connected to important road junctions and bus routes by a vast network of crowded share jeeps.

The state air transport is not very well developed, although there have been efforts to develop Naini Saini Airport in Pithoragarh district, Chaniyalisaur in Uttarkashi and Gauchar in Chamoli district. The major airport in the state is the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, which is well connected to Delhi. Another domestic airport is located in the Kumaon region of Pantnagar. There are plans to launch helipad service in Pant Nagar and Jolly Grant Airports and other important tourist destinations like Ghangharia and Hemkund Sahib.

As over 90% of Uttarakhand's terrain consists of hills, railway services are very limited in the state and are largely confined to the plains. As of 2011, the total length of railway tracks was about 345 km. Rail, being the cheapest mode of transport, is most popular. The most important railway station in Kumaun Division of Uttarakhand is at Kathgodam, 35 kilometres away from Nainital. Kathgodam is the last terminus of the broad gauge line of North East Railways that connects Nainital with Delhi,Dehradun, and Howrah. Other notable railway stations are at Lalkuan and Haldwani.

Dehradun Railway Station is a railhead of the Northern Railways. Haridwar station is situated on the Delhi-Dehradun and Howrah-Dehradun railway lines. One of the main railheads of the Northern Railways, Haridwar Junction Railway Station is connected by meter gauge and broad gauge lines. Roorkee comes under Northern Railway region of Indian Railways on the main Punjab - Mughal Sarai trunk route and is connected to major Indian cities. Other railheads are Rishikesh, Kotdwar and Ramnagar linked to Delhi by daily trains.

Power

The state has adequate availability of power and is aiming to further increase hydro power production by over 5000 MW before the end of the present decade. A number of small and medium size hydro sites have been identified to be developed in the private sector or in public-private partnership, besides development of projects in the public sector. These measures have been taken up to ensure supply of quality power to the entrepreneurs setting up industrial units in the state.

The mission of the state with respect to the power sector is:

• . Achieve 100% rural electrification by March 2007, Hamlets by March 2008 and rural households by March 2009.
• . Provide 24x7 reliable, quality and un-interrupted supply to its consumers.
• . Provide "power to all" on demand.
• . Strengthen the existing power network based on present advanced technology with an objective to reduce T&D losses.
• . Provide power system network with minimal environmental impact.
• . Plan and provide strong power system to the state and its consumers at an affordable cost.
• . Develop a professionally managed organization.
• . Generate additional revenue for the Corporation and State by developing a strong, adequate, reliable and cohesive power network based on most techno-economical aspects to contribute towards the development and prosperity of the State.
• . Improve social status of the people.
• . Reduce poverty of the people.
• . Provide employment in the rural sections by providing reliable supply.
• . Establish Consumer Care Centre, Central Call Centre etc. to provide Quality Service to the Consumers.
• . Release Electricity Connection to the consumers under Tatkal Sewa within 24 hours for better service to them.
• . Contribute to the formation of a developed & progressive Uttarakhand State.

Roads

• . Provide high speed connectivity with rest of the country.
• . Provide adequate and efficient connectivity to all the demand drivers (Tourism, Industries, Agriculture and Urban centres.)
• . Provide connectivity to all the villages/habitations through roads and bridges.
• . Provide 100 percent all weather roads.

Strategy for Development :

• . Identification of core network and all future developments to be linked to the core network to ensure economies of scale in terms of traffic counts.
• . Work in close co-ordination with the central government for development of high-speed corridors NH 58 & 87.
• . Minimize transaction costs and delays in transportation through integrated check posts and bypasses along core network.
• . Explore spectrum of private participation in construction, maintenance and management of corridors through BOT and other options.

Initiative Underway :

• . Discussions initiated with multilateral institutions for development of road network.
• . Asian Development Bank - connectivity to sparsely connected hill districts.
• . World Bank - upgradation/ widening of all State Highways and Major District Roads.
• . 300 km of road stretches forming entry points to the State identified for development through the private sector.