Karnataka , a state in South India has a well-developed transport system. Its capital city, Bengaluru is well-connected by air to domestic and international destinations and the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the city is one of the busiest airports in India. It was also the headquarters of the airlines Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines. The road transport is also well developed in the state with many National and State highways providing means for fast transportation. The headquarters of the South-Western Railway division of Indian Railways is located at Hubballi and this division governs most of the railway network in the state. Konkan Railway which passes along the coastal region of the state is considered one of the toughest engineering projects being undertaken in India till date. Buses, cars and trains are the means of transport for moving across distant places in Karnataka. For transportation within the city or town limits; motorbikes, cars, autorickshaws and buses are used. With the advent of low-cost airlines, many people are choosing to travel via air as well.
Kempegowda International Airport - Bengaluru is host to 9 domestic airlines and 19 international airlines and Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, United Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, connecting the city to almost 50 destinations across India and the world. With Bengaluru being the 'IT capital' of India, the air traffic to this city has increased manifold.
Mangaluru International Airport on the other hand connects 7 international destinations which includes Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar, Dammam, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and domestic destinations like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Calicut, Chennai. Mangalore International Airport has recorded 28.1% annual growth in passenger traffic for the year 2015-2016 by carrying 1.67 million passengers, making it the fastest growing airport in the state.
Hubballi Airport is one of the major operational airports serving northern Karnataka. Currently Indigo Airlines have started its operation.
Mysuru Airport Many airlines disconnected the service from mysore as flights which plied to Kempegowda International airport did not go well. New routes of air service were introduced under the UDAAN scheme to Hyderabad and chennai everyday which received great response. Additional to that the state operates flights from bangalore to mysore during dasara festival. The airport landed in major controversies with the runway expansion. A decision was taken to build an underpass as it was blocked by rail route and a national highway connecting Kozhikode - a first kind in the country. Plans are to develop this major tourist destination's airport to an international service as there is competition now from the upcoming Kannur International Airport.
Belagavi Airport is the Oldest and north Karnataka busiest airport and the Major Airport in North Karnataka serving Belgaum city, Part of Goa and southernmost part of Maharashtra, Alliance Air(India) Indigo Star air To Bangalore, Air India started operation to Bangalore four days a week Mon, thu, fri, Sun including Pune. Spicejet operates daily flights to Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mangalore and Jabalpur. And also Star air operates daily flights to Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
Kalaburagi Airport serves direct flights to Bengaluru and has expansion plans to the other locations in near future.
There are airports at Ballari Airport and Bidar Airport that do not have any air service. In addition, there are private airstrips at Sedam Airport, Koppal Airport and Harihar Airport.
Shivamogga Airport is the newest operational airport with second longest runway after Bengaluru airport that serves direct flights to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, Tirupathi.
Hassana Airport, Vijayapura Airport, Raichuru Airport are being built under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The total length of rail track in Karnataka is 3089 km [1] For a long time after independence, the railway network in the state was under the Southern and Western railway zones which were headquartered at Chennai and Mumbai respectively. The South Western Zone, headquartered at Hubballi was created in 2003 thus fulfilling a long-standing demand of the state. Several parts of the state now come under this zone with the remaining being under Southern Railways. Coastal Karnataka is covered under the Konkan railway network, a project that is regarded as one of the feats of Indian engineering and included the construction of a bridge of length 2,023 metres (6,637 ft) across the river Sharavathi at Honnavar and a tunnel of length 2,960 metres (9,711 ft) at Karwar. Bengaluru, the capital city, is extensively connected with inter-state destinations while other important cities and towns in the state are not so well-connected. [2] [3] [4] The train connectivity within Karnataka has improved since K.H.Muniyappa, Member of Parliament from Kolar constituency has been the Union Minister of State for Railways.
The superfast Shatabdi Express trains run from Bengaluru to Chennai and Mysuru. A Jan Shatabdi express runs from Bengaluru to Hubballi and this is the first train in India that has been fitted with a GPS (Global Position System) based Location Announcement System. Using this system, the passengers are announced apriori the arrival of a station. [6] Konkan Railway is an engineering marvel; the construction of which included the bridge across the river Sharavathi at Honnavar of length 2,023 m and a tunnel at Karwar of length 2,960 m.
A high-end luxury train operated by the Tourism Department of Karnataka The Golden Chariot covers the places of interest in Karnataka and Goa under the tour name "Pride of the South". Places Covered: Bengaluru - Kabini/Bandipur - Mysuru - Hassan - Hampi - Gadag - Goa - Bengaluru. The same train covers the places of interest in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala with a different tour name "Southern Splendour". Places Covered: Bengaluru - Chennai - Mamallapuram - Pondicherry - Tiruchirapalli & Thanjavur - Madurai - Kanyakumari - Thiruvananthapuram - Backwaters & Kochi / Allepey - Bengaluru.
Karnataka has 1 major port; the New Mangaluru Port and 10 minor ports; Karwar, Belekeri, Tadri, Honnavara, Bhatkal, Kundapur, Hangarkatta, Malpe, Padubidri and Old Mangaluru. [7] The construction of the New Mangaluru Port was started in 1962 and completed in 1974. It was incorporated as the 9th major port in India on 4 May 1974. This port handled 32.04 million tonnes of traffic in the fiscal year 2006–07 with 17.92 million tonnes of imports and 14.12 million tonnes of exports. [8] This was actually a slowdown in traffic at this port compared to the previous fiscal year mainly due to the reduction in iron ore exports from the Kudremukha Iron Ore Company limited. The port also handled 1015 vessels including 18 cruise vessels during the year 2006–07. [8] The sector of Inland water transport within the rivers of Karnataka is not well-developed.
Among the network of roads in Karnataka, 3973 km. of roads are National Highways. [9] Karnataka also has state highways of length 9829 km.
The public bus transport in Karnataka is managed by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation. It was set up in 1961 with the objective of providing adequate, efficient, economic and properly coordinated road transport services. [10] It operates 5100 schedules using 5400 vehicles covering 1.95 million kilometres and an average of 2.2 million passengers daily. About 25000 people are employed in Corporation For better management of public transport, Corporation was bifurcated into three Corporations viz., Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Bengaluru on 15 August 1997, North-west Karnataka Road Transport Corporation, Hubballi on 1 November 1997 and North-East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation, Gulbarga on 1 October 2000. The reservation system is networked and computerised and tickets can be availed at designated kiosks in towns and cities. An online reservation system called AWATAR has also been devised by Corporation using which travellers can reserve tickets online. Corporation plies various categories of buses viz. Ambaari Dream Class AC Sleeper (Volvo), Airavat Club-Class (high-end luxury Volvo, Scania, Mercedes-Benz multi-axle AC buses), Airavat (high-end luxury Volvo and Mercedes Benz AC buses), Ambaari(Corona AC and non AC Sleeper buses), Rajahamsa Executive (Deluxe buses built on Leyland, Eicher and Tata chassis), Karnataka Vaibhav (Semi-Deluxe buses built on Leyland, Eicher and Tata chassis), Karnataka Saarige (Bus service linking rural areas to major settlements as well as the cheapest alternative for inter-city or town routes. The buses are built on Tata and Leyland chassis). Grameena Sarige is another initiative by corporation to provide bus service to the rural populace of the state.
Buses run by private persons are allowed to operate in few districts of Karnataka.Inter district transportation are run by private operators, connecting capital Bengaluru and main cities like Mangaluru and Dharwad to district headquarters. Intra district transportation by private operators is currently allowed in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Omni bus and Maxi cabs are also other modes of road transportation in the state, especially where KSRTC does not buses or run very few.
Hubli is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad district of Karnataka and is the taluk headquarters of Hubli City and Hubli Rural. Although it hosts the HDMC office, the district headquarters is in Dharwad.
Madikeri is a hill station town in Madikeri taluk and headquarters of Kodagu district in Karnataka, India. Its original name was Muddurajanakeri which means "the city of Mudduraja".
Manipal is a suburb and university town within Udupi, in coastal Karnataka, India. Manipal is located five kilometres away from the centre of Udupi City, in Udupi District, Karnataka (state) in south western India. It is administered by the Udupi City Municipality. The suburb is located in coastal Karnataka, 62 km north of Mangalore and 8 km east of the Arabian Sea. From its location on a plateau, at an altitude of about 75 metres above sea level, it commands a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats to the east.
Davanagere is a city in the centre of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the seventh largest city in the state, and the administrative headquarters of eponymous Davangere district. Hitherto being a cotton hub and hence popularly known before as the Manchester of Karnataka, the commercial ventures of the city is now dominated by education and agro-processing industries. Davanagere became a separate district in 1997, when it was separated from the erstwhile undivided district of Chitradurga for administration conveniences. Davanagere is known for rich culinary traditions which encompass the diversity of entire Karnataka's dishes due to its geographical position in the state as its centre. Notable among them is its aromatic benne dose.
The South Western Railway (SWR) is one of the 19 railway zones in India, headquartered at Hubballi in Karnataka State. SWR was created from carving out the routes from Southern Railways, South Central Railways and Central Railways in 2003.
Mysore division, officially Mysuru division, is an administrative division in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is one of four administrative divisions in Karnataka, the others being Bangalore division, Belagavi division, and Kalaburagi division. Mysore division comprises eight districts of Karnataka, namely, Chamarajanagar, Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya, Mysore and Udupi district. The city of Mysore is the administrative headquarters of the division. Mysore division covers parts of historical Old Mysore region and southern part of Coastal Karnataka.The total area of the division is 43,503 sq.km. The total population as of 2011 census is 12,563,598.
Arsikere is a city and taluka in the Hassan district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the second largest city in Hassan district, demographically. Arsikere city municipal council consists of 35 wards. This region is known for its coconut production and is also called Kalpataru Nadu. Arsikere Junction is a major railway junction in the South Western Railway which links Mangalore and Mysore to North Karnataka and a central place for tourists who visit nearby places that do not have rail access, such as Belur, Halebidu and Shravanabelagola, Harnahalli, and Kodimata.
Holenarasipura is a town and taluk in Hassan district of Karnataka. The town is situated on the banks of the Hemavati, one of the tributaries of the Kaveri.
Karnataka is one of the highest economic growth states in India with an expected GSDP growth of 9.5% in the 2021–22 fiscal year. The total expected GSDP of Karnataka in 2022–2023 is about $240 billion. Karnataka recorded the highest growth rates in terms of GDP and per capita GDP in the last decade compared to other states. In 2008–09, the tertiary sector contributed the most to GSDP, followed by the secondary sector, and the primary sector.
Mysore Airport, also known as Mandakalli Airport, is a domestic airport serving Mysore in Karnataka, India. It is located eight kilometres (5 mi) south of the city in the village of Mandakalli and is owned and operated by the Airports Authority of India. The Princely State of Mysore constructed it in 1940. The airport was later refurbished and inaugurated in May 2010. At present, it has direct flights to Chennai, Goa, and Hyderabad.
Mangalore's location in the Indian state of Karnataka makes it accessible by all forms of transport: road, rail, air and sea. It is the largest city in the Coastal Karnataka region, and is the only city in Karnataka and one among the six cities in India to have an International Airport, a Major Seaport, railway & road connectivities. It is the second prominent city of Karnataka after the state capital Bangalore in all aspects. It is one of the fastest developing cities in India.
Bangalore City Railway Station, officially Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Bengaluru Station, commonly known as KSR Bengaluru Station, Bengaluru City Railway Station or Majestic Railway station, is the main railway station serving the city of Bangalore, Karnataka, India. It is the busiest railway station in South Western Railway zone of Indian Railways, and is the only station classified under NSG1 category in the zone.
Tiruchirappalli has a well-developed transport infrastructure. Being located almost at the geographic centre of the state Tamil Nadu India, Tiruchirappalli is well connected by Road, Rail and Air with most cities.
The 12007/08 Chennai Central–Mysuru Junction Shatabdi Express is a Superfast Express train of the Shatabdi Express category belonging to Indian Railways, Southern Railway zone, that runs between Chennai Central and Mysuru Junction in India. It is the first Shatabdi Express in South India.
The 12725 / 12726 Siddhaganga Intercity Express, formerly Intercity Express is a daily express train that runs between Dharwad and Bengaluru in Karnataka, India and it replaced Bangalore City - Hubli (Hubballi) Shatabdi Express. and until 2009, this train ran from Hubballi to Bengaluru. It was extended to Dharwad on 8 December 2009. It takes 8 hours 50 minutes to cover 490 kilometres (300 mi). It has 17 stops and 65 intermediate Stations. It is numbered as 12725/12726. The train belongs to Mysuru Division of South Western Railway.
Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Junction Railway Station, is a railway junction station under Hubballi railway division of South Western Railway zone (SWR) of Indian Railways situated in Hubli, Karnataka, India. The platform number 1 of Hubli Junction has a length of 1,507 metres, making it the longest railway platform in the world as of March 2023.
Kannur has a good road network connecting to Bangalore, Mangalore, Kodagu and Cochin. The railway station is also well connected to all parts of India. There is new International airport from Kannur opened on 9 December 2018, other nearest airports are at Calicut and Mangalore. Thalassery, Payyanur, Taliparamba and Iritty are the other transport hubs.
Mysore is one of the most important cities in Karnataka due to its tourism and proximity with the capital city of Bangalore. It is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state of Karnataka. It has a well established road and rail transport with other cities in the country.
Kabaka Puttur is a major railway station on Mangalore–Hassan–Mysore line. It is located in Padil,Puttur, Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka state, India. It consists of two platforms. It is named after two places: Kabaka which is 5 km away from railway station location and Puttur where railway station lies. The railway station lies 1.2 km away from Puttur KSRTC bus stand and 1.1 km away from Puttur–Uppinangadi Main Road