---
title: "Railway versus air transportation"
subject: "Transportation Engineering I"
chapter: 1
key: "semester_6/transportation_engineering_i:railway-vs-air"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/transportation_engineering_i/railway-vs-air
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Railway versus air transportation

Transportation Engineering I · Chapter 1: Introduction to Transportation Planning and engineering

- Asked in: 2079 Chaitra, 4 marks
- Video: [Types of Transport |Advantage and disadvantage of Road, railways, Airways transportation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL0ojQA7nWg) — Imaduddin Khan
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/transportation_engineering_i/railway-vs-air
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_6/transportation_engineering_i/chapter-1

## Question

Write down the merits and demerits of Railway with respect to Air Transportation.

## Short answer

Railways offer lower cost, higher capacity, reliability in weather, and more comfort, but are slower, need high investment, cannot access remote areas without track, and are not suitable for urgent or perishable goods.

## Answer

**Merits of railway over air**
1. **Lower cost** per passenger and per tonne-km, so it is cheaper for bulk and heavy goods.
2. **Large capacity:** can carry thousands of passengers or large quantities of goods at a time.
3. **Less affected by weather** (fog, wind), so more reliable.
4. **Cheaper terminals:** stations are cheaper than airports and nearer to the city centre.
5. **Less fuel use per tonne-km,** and more environment-friendly if electrified.
6. **More space and comfort on long trips;** passengers can move about, sleep and carry large luggage.
7. Can serve many intermediate stations along the route.

**Demerits of railway compared with air**
1. **Slower;** takes much more time over long distances.
2. **High investment** in tracks, bridges and tunnels, especially in rough terrain; fixed route.
3. **Cannot reach** mountains, islands or places without track; air can reach remote areas directly.
4. **Not suitable for urgent** and perishable high-value goods.
5. **Land acquisition** is needed for the entire length.
6. **Needs gentle gradients,** so long detours are needed in hilly country.

For Nepal, air transport is more practical for the remote hills, while rail is limited to short Terai links (e.g. Jaynagar-Janakpur-Kurtha); the East-West railway and the Raxaul-Kathmandu and Kerung-Kathmandu lines are only proposed.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Which is a merit of railway over air transport?
   A. Faster over long distances
   B. Reaches mountains and islands
   C. Lower cost per passenger and per tonne-km, especially for bulk goods
   D. No track investment
   Answer: C. Rail is cheaper per tonne-km and suits bulk and heavy goods. (Key point: Cost advantage)

2. How does rail compare with air regarding weather?
   A. Rail is more affected by fog and wind
   B. Rail is less affected by weather and so more reliable
   C. Both are equally affected
   D. Air is never affected
   Answer: B. Rail is less affected by fog and wind, so more reliable. (Key point: Weather reliability)

3. Which is a demerit of railway compared with air?
   A. Slower, and needs high investment in track, bridges and tunnels
   B. Smaller capacity
   C. More affected by weather
   D. Higher cost per tonne-km
   Answer: A. Rail is slower, has fixed routes, high investment and cannot reach places without track. (Key point: Demerit of rail)

4. In Nepal, which mode is more practical for remote hills?
   A. Railway
   B. Inland waterway
   C. Air transport
   D. Pipeline
   Answer: C. Air reaches remote hills directly, while rail is limited to the Terai. (Key point: Application in Nepal)

## Related in Transportation Engineering I

- [Railway versus road transportation](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Ftransportation_engineering_i%3Arailway-vs-road) — Transportation Engineering I, chapter 1
- [Merits and demerits of river and ridge routes](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Ftransportation_engineering_i%3Ariver-ridge) — Transportation Engineering I, chapter 5, asked 7×
- [Public versus private transportation](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Ftransportation_engineering_i%3Apublic-private) — Transportation Engineering I, chapter 1, asked 3×

## Related in other subjects

- [Forward vs reverse engineering merits and demerits](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fobject_oriented_analysis_and_design%3Aforward-reverse-engineering-merits) — Object Oriented Analysis and Design, chapter 4, asked 3×
- [Cofferdam types, uses, merits and demerits](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Ffoundation_engineering%3Acofferdam-types-merits) — Foundation Engineering, chapter 5, asked 7×
- [Incineration: merits and demerits](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fsanitary_engineering%3Asolid-waste-incineration) — Sanitary Engineering, chapter 10, asked 7×
- [Distribution layouts, merits and demerits](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fwater_supply_engineering%3Adistribution-layouts-merits-demerits) — Water Supply Engineering, chapter 7, asked 6×