The four modes of transport are explained as follows:

(1) Road transport : Road transport is the oldest mode of transport. It means and includes various means of transport which move on the surface of the earth without the use of railway tracks. Roads are the means which connect people and places on the surface of the land. It provides connectivity on any terrain (land) in comparison to other modes of transport. The different types of vehicles plying on the road include bullock carts, cycles, motor-cycles, autorickshaws, cars, tempos, trucks, buses, etc. They are called means of road transport.

(2) Rail transport : The mode of transport which moves on the surface of the earth with the help of parallel railway tracks is called rail transport. In other words, transportation of goods and passengers over long distances on rail lines through trains is called rail transport. It is an important land transport system of our country. The services of railways are provided by Ministry of Railways. Indian Railways operate different types of trains such as passenger trains, mails, express and cargo or goods trains. Some popular trains run by Indian Railways are Rajdhani Express, Duronto Express, Shatabdi Express, Intercity Express, Vande Bharat Express, holiday special trains, etc. Some luxury trains like Palace on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Ramayana Express, Maharaja Express, etc. are run to promote domestic tourism business.

(3) Air transport: The mode of transport which is operated above the surface of the earth i.e., in the sky through airways is called air transport. It has recent origin. Air transport uses different air crafts such as passenger air crafts, cargo aircraft, helicopters, etc. to carry the goods and passengers through airways at distant places. As compared to other modes of transport, air transport has fastest speed. It does not provide door to door services. A transport is convenient mode in hilly or mountainous areas where other modes of transport cannot reach. It is also suitable mode of transport in emergency situations like war, natural calamities, etc. Air transport is classified into domestic and international air transport. The different national and international private and public sector airways companies are giving services.

(4) Water transport: The mode of transport which is carried out on the surface of water is called water transport. It represents transport facilities in water. It is the cheapest mode of transport. Water transport carries passengers and goods to different places on water ways by using various means like boats, steamers, launches, ships, etc. Water transport can be sub-divided into two categories viz. inland water transport which carries goods and passengers within the country and ocean transport which carries goods and passengers on ocean, sea route. In India, the Ministry of Shipping takes care of development of ocean transport.