AITD

AITD Overview

The Asian Institute of Transport Development (AITD) is an independent, not-for-profit organization devoted to capacity building, non-partisan research and regional cooperation in infrastructure sector with special focus on transport, trade and logistics. The Institute aims at promoting balanced, efficient, equitable and sustainable development. It also fosters regional cooperation and partnership, promotes human resource development and harmonisation of technologies for enhancing welfare.
Set up in 1989 in pursuance of the recommendations of the National Transport Policy Committee (NTPC), the Institute has since come a long way. The United Nations Economic and Social Council has granted AITD a special consultative status. This status is awarded to select non-government organizations that have the necessary expertise, recognized standing within the particular field of its competence and have the capacity to assist the work of the United Nations.

The Institute has strong linkages with regional organizations in South, South West and South East regions of Asian continent and provides substantive support to regional groupings like SAARC, BIMSTEC, Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, ECO, GMS, ASEAN, etc. in enhancing skill developments.
The Institute has initiated several steps in support of promoting regional cooperation.  The Institute took major imitative which resulted in setting up of a Forum of Chief Executives of Railways, establishing Asian Railway Association (ARA) in 2006, launching Regional Training Programme and extending research facilities for common use.

  • The Institute also functions as the secretariat of the ARA, which was set with the objective of synergizing the different rail systems in the region so as to provide seamless movement of goods and people.
  • Its outreach programmes are aimed at human resource development. It has trained more than 300 senior level professionals from as many as thirteen countries from south and south-east Asian countries in technical, social, financial and multimodal aspects of infrastructure. 
  • The Institute has carried out several studies on transport facilitation outlining bottlenecks to seamless transport in South Asia particularly in relation to the land transport (Road and Rail). It has also carried research studies in all modes of transport. In the road transport sector the studies carried out include optimisation of axle loads of the commercial vehicles, establishment of transhipment hub, socio-economic impact of National Highways, transport facilitation between India and Nepal and between India and Bangladesh for BIMSTEC, etc. The Institute has also drafted the initial draft Agreement for the movement of vehicles among South Asian countries for SAARC Chamber of Commerce.

The Government of India has drawn on its advice and expertise while formulating national plans and for developing long-term policy framework for transport and logistics sectors. The Government from time to time inducted senior faculty members of the Institute in various high-level committees, working groups, etc., set up for the development of transport and logistics sectors. Three of its senior faculty members were inducted in the high level National Transport Development Policy Committee which submitted its report in 2014.
The Institute’s newly built campus is situated in 5-acre land at Sector-9 Dwarka, New Delhi. It is located on 100 feet wide sector road facing an extensive district park. It is in close proximity of international airport and well connected with other parts of the city.