Transport
Goa's main form of public transport largely consists of privately operated buses linking the major towns to rural areas. A few government run buses also link the taluka headquarters. In large towns such as Panjim and Margao, intra-city buses serve its citizens.
Goa has two National Highways passing through it. NH-17 runs along India's west coast and links Goa to Mumbai to the north and Mangalore to the south. NH-4A running across the state connects the capital Panjim to Belgaum in east, linking Goa to Bangalore and other cities in Deccan India. Goa has a total of 224 km of National highway, 232 km of state highway and 815 km of district highway.
Hired forms of transport include unmetered taxis, and, in urban areas, auto rickshaws. A unique form of transport in Goa is the Motorcycle taxi, which transports pillion riders short distances. In some places in Goa river crossings are serviced by the ferry boats, which are run by the river navigation departments.
Goa has two rail lines – one run by the Southern Railway and the other by the Konkan Railway. The line run by the Southern Railway was built during the colonial era linking the port town of Vasco to Hubli in Karnataka and passing through the town of Margao. The Konkan Railway line, which was built during the 1990s, runs parallel to the coast connecting Mumbai to Trivandrum in Kerala.
Goa's sole airport – the Dambolim Airport is a domestic airport catering to local airlines and international airlines that stop en route to other Indian destinations. In addition to regular flights, the airport handles a large number of chartered flights.
The Mormugao harbour near the city of Vasco handles international containers. Much of the shipments consist of minerals and ores from Goa's hinterland. Panaji, which is situated on the banks of the Mandovi, also has a minor port, which used to handle passenger steamers between Goa and Bombay till the late 1980s.
