The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) have signed an agreement to establish India’s first dedicated research centre focused on transport economics, infrastructure planning and policy analysis.
The proposed centre will serve as a specialised platform for research on the economic impact of transportation infrastructure, helping policymakers assess how investments in roads, highways and logistics networks influence economic growth, regional development, trade and employment generation.
The initiative comes at a time when India is undertaking one of the world’s largest infrastructure expansion programmes, with significant investments being made in highways, expressways, multimodal logistics parks and freight corridors. The new centre is expected to provide evidence-based insights that can support long-term transport planning and infrastructure investment decisions.
Under the collaboration, the research facility will undertake studies on key areas including traffic demand forecasting, logistics efficiency, freight movement patterns, infrastructure financing, road user behaviour, economic benefits of highway development and the broader relationship between transport networks and economic productivity.
The centre will also focus on developing analytical frameworks and data-driven models to evaluate infrastructure projects, enabling more informed decision-making in the transport sector. Research findings are expected to contribute to policy formulation and support the optimisation of investments in national highway and logistics infrastructure.
NHAI has increasingly emphasized the use of technology, data analytics and scientific planning in infrastructure development. The partnership with NCAER is expected to strengthen institutional research capabilities and create a dedicated knowledge base for the transport sector.
Experts believe the establishment of a specialised transport economics centre could help bridge existing gaps between infrastructure development and economic analysis, ensuring that future investments are aligned with national growth objectives and evolving mobility requirements.
The initiative marks a significant step towards integrating economic research with infrastructure planning and is expected to support India’s long-term vision of building a more efficient, connected and globally competitive transport ecosystem.
