1.5. Access to Transportation and Communication Facilities

Speedy and efficient transport facilities to carry raw materials to the factory and to move finished goods to the market are essential for the development of industries. The cost of transport plays an important role in the location of industrial units. Modern industry is inseparably tied to transportation systems. Improvements in transportation led to integrated economic development and regional specialisation of manufacturing.

The means of transportation help in the development of industry. At the same time, after the location of industries at a place, the means of transportation also develop very fast. The concentration of large industries in the Great Lakes region has been caused by cheap means of water transportation provided by the lakes. Almost all large industrial towns in Japan are ports. The cheap water transport has facilitated the development and concentration of Jute mills in the Hoogly valley in India and large industrial towns in the Rhine valley of Europe.