The Indian government is planning to establish a new federal agency to streamline and integrate the planning, appraisal, and monitoring of the entire transport sector. This initiative aims to break down the silos that have historically plagued infrastructure development across aviation, highways, shipping, railways, and urban planning. The move is inspired by successful models in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, South Korea and Japan.

The new agency, tentatively named Gati-Shakti Transport Planning and Research Organisation (GTPRO), will function as an apex body under the Cabinet Secretariat, headed by a Secretary-level officer to ensure better coordination. It will work closely with the Prime Minister's Office. Cabinet clearance for the proposal is expected within the next three to six months.

Need for Integrated Planning

Despite substantial investments in infrastructure projects, the lack of coordination between various departments has resulted in disconnected systems, inefficiencies, and underutilized assets. For example, many airports and metro systems operate below capacity due to uncoordinated planning. A dozen of India's 140 airports recorded no passengers between December and March, and metro networks in cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru function at a fraction of their intended capacity. The national auditor has also criticized projects built years before actual demand.

Objectives and Functions

The primary objective of the new agency is to create comprehensive, integrated transportation plans that align with the country's long-term goals. The agency will be responsible for:

• Developing and finalizing 5-year and 25-year plans for the transport sector.
• Prioritizing viable projects and accelerating approvals.
• Ensuring better alignment between various transport systems.
• Conducting comprehensive assessments for capacity augmentation for both passenger and freight movement.
• Coordinating with states for key infrastructure projects.
• Recommending changes to existing Acts and Rules to improve planning and project implementation.

Drawing from International Best Practices

The government reviewed international best practices, including the Korea Transport Institute (KOTI), a think tank under the South Korean Prime Minister's office. Models from China, the United States, and Australia were also considered. The new agency aims to emulate the success of organizations like London's Transport for London and Seoul's Metropolitan Transport Commission, which have effectively integrated urban transport planning.

Overcoming Past Limitations

The PM Gati Shakti initiative, launched in 2021, was an earlier attempt to streamline planning. While it involved 58 departments and 36 states and Union territories, it was largely limited to project approvals and failed to deliver the intended results of integrated planning. The new Transport Planning Authority aims to go further by prioritizing feasible projects, accelerating clearances, and ensuring that transport infrastructure aligns with actual demand.

Expected Outcomes

By establishing a unified Transport Planning Authority, the government hopes to replace siloed decision-making with coordinated, demand-driven planning. This strategic reform is expected to make India's infrastructure development more efficient, connected, and future-ready. The agency is expected to reduce wasteful spending, improve project viability, accelerate approvals, and bring down logistics costs.

To start, the government will constitute a Group of Transport Experts (GTE) from fields such as transport planning, supply chain management, data science, and network optimization, with members drawn from IITs in Delhi, Chennai, BHU, and BITS Pilani.