5 Modes of Transportation

In order to have easy mobility of persons and goods, it is necessary to have a sophisticated and widespread transportation system. This system is made up of five primary areas of transportation, which are: - Motor vehicles - Railroad transportation - Air transportation - Water transportation - Pipelines

Each of these five modes consists of different subsystems which make up the system. Each mode is used to transport persons or goods, but in many instances, one mode may be favored over the others. All five modes require some primary source of funds for building and maintaining the infrastructure. These funds may come from a number of …show more content…

State highway systems may overlap federal systems. The funds for most state primary systems come from the state, while local and county authorities are responsible for secondary systems. Local and other systems usually receive funds from the local authorities for maintenance, improvement, and construction. Toll roads receive funds for upkeep by charging people a small fee to travel on the highway. Railroad systems are usually privately owned. Most railroad systems are built and maintained by the company, but funds are also provided by the federal government. The air transportation system obtains much of its funds from federal aid if the facility is owned by local governments (in most cases they are). The airlines themselves are also responsible for much of the funds required to maintain the facility. Small general aviation aircraft are usually privately owned and used for recreational purposes, or owned by businesses which do a large amount of traveling. These facilities are usually paid for by the local area and the users of the airport. The construction, maintenance, and operation of waterways is paid for by the federal government since the United States Coast Guard assumes responsibility for the supply and operation of navigational aids. While the federal government pays for the waterways, most of the vessels are company or privately owned, with the exception of U.S. Coast Guard vessels.