In a major step towards strengthening India’s transportation and logistics ecosystem, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has announced the establishment of the country’s first permanent and independent research centre dedicated to transportation, mobility and logistics economics. The centre will be set up at the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in New Delhi.
The initiative is aimed at promoting evidence-based policymaking and supporting research-driven decision-making in India’s rapidly expanding road transport sector. NHAI and NCAER have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create the Centre for Economics of Transportation, Mobility and Logistics.
The research centre will focus on critical areas such as national highway economics, freight logistics, modal integration, toll policy, asset monetisation, road safety and the adoption of emerging technologies in highway operations and maintenance. The findings are expected to help government agencies design more efficient, sustainable and user-friendly transportation policies.
Apart from conducting research, the centre will function as a knowledge hub by publishing policy briefs, reports and working papers while also organising workshops and stakeholder consultations. An advisory committee comprising economists, transportation experts and policy specialists will guide its work.
NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav said the partnership would provide a dedicated platform for high-quality research and policy analysis, helping strengthen planning, investment and asset management decisions across the transportation sector. NHAI will support the centre’s operations for the next ten years.
