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<ul><li><keyword id="6363321" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="audi" source="Orion">Audi</keyword> has launched a limited edition version of the Q8 model in India.</li><li>The limited edition <keyword id="-162" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="audi-q8" source="Orion">Audi Q8</keyword> SUV has been launched with a price tag of ₹1.18 crore.</li><li>The <keyword id="10080932" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="audi-q8-limited-edition" source="Orion">Audi Q8 limited edition</keyword> features the same engine as its regular counterpart.</li></ul>German luxury automaker Audi on Monday showcased the limited edition Q8 in India ahead of the festive season. The car has been launched with an improved exterior design, while retaining the same engine as the standard Q8. “The Audi Q8 is the most versatile SUV in our product portfolio. We are happy to begin the festive season with the launch of a limited-edition Audi Q8 for customers who are looking for a car that is a blend of comfort, elegance, and a technology-rich experience,” said Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head of <keyword id="148913" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="audi-india" source="Orion">Audi India</keyword>. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Audi Q8 limited edition price and availability" comment="subhead" text="Audi Q8 limited edition price and availability"><keyword id="18732661" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="audi-q8-limited-edition-price" source="Orion">Audi Q8 limited edition price</keyword> and availability</cmsannotation> The Audi Q8 limited edition has been launched with an ex-showroom price of ₹1.18 crore. The car is available in three colour options – Mythos Black, Glacier White and Daytona Gray. Audi has said that the car will be sold in a limited number only. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Audi Q8 limited edition features" comment="subhead" text="Audi Q8 limited edition features">Audi Q8 limited edition features</cmsannotation> The Audi Q8 limited edition comes with a blacked-out grille, wing mirrors and roof rails. The car is equipped with the company’s S-line exterior package. The car is also equipped with four-zone climate control, five-spoke 21-inch alloy wheels and a Bang and Olufsen speaker system. The limited edition retains the same 3.0-litre turbo-petrol engine mated with a 48V mild-hybrid system. The engine is capable of delivering a maximum power output of 340 hp and 500 Nm of peak torque. The car offers a top-speed of 250 km per hour and can go from 0 to 100 in just 5.9 seconds. The limited edition SUV is equipped with a button-less navigation touchscreen. It is equipped with a 10.1-inch infotainment screen and an 8.5-inch screen for controlling the HVAC. As it is a premium car, it is equipped with several safety features as well. It comes with 8 airbags, electronic stabilisation program, Audi Park Assist with Parking Aid Plus, a rear-view camera and more. Limited edition or special edition cars are not new to India. BMW India launched the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo M Sport Signature limited edition in India with a price tag of ₹75.6 lakh. Similarly, Skoda had launched the special editions for its popular cars Kushaq and Slavia earlier this month. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/tata-nexon-new-ev-facelift-introduced-revamped-design-up-to-465-km-range-and-more/slidelist/103498973.cms">Tata Nexon EV facelift introduced – revamped design, up to 465 KM range &amp; more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/volvo-c40-recharge-with-530-km-range-launched-in-india-for-61-25-lakh/articleshow/103382328.cms">Volvo C40 Recharge with 530 km range launched in India for ₹61.25 lakh</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/upcoming-new-cars-in-india-in-september-2023/slidelist/103247552.cms">Tata Nexon to Aston Martin DB12 – Cars launching in India this September</a>

Audi Q8 limited edition races into the festive season with a ₹1.18 crore price tag

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Former <keyword id="11908743" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="spacex" source="Orion">SpaceX</keyword> engineers are building self-driving, electric <keyword id="11984206" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="freight" source="Orion">freight</keyword> train cars, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/19/parallel-systems-ex-spacex-engineers-design-electric-train-cars.html">CNBC reported</a>.</li><li>The LA-based startup, Parallel Systems, raised $50 million in a Series A funding round.</li></ul>Three former SpaceX engineers are teaming up to build autonomous and battery-electric freight train cars. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/19/parallel-systems-ex-spacex-engineers-design-electric-train-cars.html"></a><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/19/parallel-systems-ex-spacex-engineers-design-electric-train-cars.html">CNBC </a>and other outlets reported on the <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword>. The trio consists of CEO Matt Soule and co-founders Ben Stabler and John Howard. They have named their new Los Angeles-based startup Parallel Systems and it has raised $50 million in a Series A funding round, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90713785/former-spacex-engineers-raised-50-million-to-build-a-tesla-for-freight-trains">according to Fast Company</a>. In an interview with CNBC, Soule highlighted the energy efficiency of freight trains in comparison with trucks. He told the outlet that rail does have "operational and economic limits," because of "the way that it is architected." But, he added, "if you can break through those barriers and allow rail to serve more of these markets — that's the opportunity."In an interview with <a href="https://www.designboom.com/technology/former-spacex-engineers-50m-autonomous-freight-trains-01-21-2022/">Design Boom</a>, Soule said: "Our business model is to give railroads the tools to convert some of the $700 billion US trucking industry to rail. The parallel system can also help alleviate the supply chain crisis by enabling low cost and regular movement of freight in and out of ports."The system is made up of self-driving electric rail cars, which work in pairs to transport standard shipping containers, <a href="https://moveparallel.com/product/">according to the company's website</a>.Each unit can also join up with others or split off to their destination alone, which offers a key advantage in reducing waiting times that are linked to loading long freight trains, per Design Boom. Parallel Systems isn't the only company recently created by former SpaceX engineers. Benson Tsai, who worked at <keyword id="11897862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elon-musk" source="Orion">Elon Musk</keyword>'s company for five years, said in an interview with Insider that he launched a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-former-engineer-stellar-pizza-robot-cheese-explosion-elon-musk-2022-1?r=US&amp;IR=T">pizza-making robot startup</a>, Stellar Pizza, with two former colleagues.

Former SpaceX colleagues join forces to build autonomous freight train cars, which aim to boost efficiency and ease supply-chain pressures

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Strict employee attendance policies allow America's planes and trains to run on schedule. </li><li>But some workers say these "point systems" value efficiency over their health and well-being.</li></ul>Imagine starting a brand new job, and you start with zero points. A sick day earns you one point, two if you wait until the last minute to call in. Sleep in and miss a shift on accident? Another two points are added. Go over the maximum number of points allowed, and you could be fired. While the exact method for losing and gaining points varies, this is the system many of America's airline and railroad workers live by. "We fly all over the country and the world," a flight attendant at American Airlines, where earning <a href="https://aaflightservice.aa.com/pdf/attendance_performance.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">11 points</a> can lead to termination, said. "We should not be encouraged to expose thousands of people per trip to our illnesses. We shouldn't have to worry about getting fired because of sick calls."<a href="https://www.kingsiegel.com/blog/what-are-point-systems-for-work-attendance-and-a/">Point systems</a> like these enforce attendance policies by keeping a running count of all absences and tardies, regardless of cause. Also known as "no fault" attendance, they're common in industries where on-time deliveries and arrivals mean everything, like transportation and shipping. They're perhaps most visible at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elizabeth-warren-bernie-sanders-aoc-amazon-absence-policy-investigation-2022-3">Amazon</a>. During a year marked by labor<a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/19/worker-strikes-surged-in-2022"> strikes</a> and protests, flight attendants and rail workers told Insider that these points-based attendance policies create an industry culture that values efficiency over employee health and well-being. For workers at BNSF, the nation's largest railroad by revenue, for example, a sick day could cost anywhere from two to ten points, depending on the day it's taken and how early the worker calls out. So could fatigue or a family emergency. It's a <a href="https://www.blet104.org/hi-viz-attendance-policy-sys-gn-238/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new attendance policy</a> called "Hi-Viz," implemented in February 2022 to <a href="https://www.railwayage.com/news/bnsf-hi-viz-attendance-policy-rankling-rank-and-file/">near-immediate backlash</a>. It's <a href="https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/open-spaces/2022-07-08/local-bnsf-railroad-workers-say-the-new-attendance-policy-is-a-brutal-policy">since been reformed, </a>with a higher limit on points and more ways to earn them back, but has still caused ripple effects as workers <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-shift/2022/05/16/the-supply-chains-little-known-weakest-link-railroad-workers-00032624">leave the industry and it struggles to staff up</a>. Similar attendance systems exist at most major US airlines including <a href="https://aaflightservice.aa.com/pdf/attendance_performance.pdf">American</a>, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zVLWjJykM_qdhguXm3SbVjayZS7Pfx3C/view">Spirit</a>, <a href="https://unitedafa.org/news/2018/8/14/reviewing-the-attendance-point-system">United</a>, and <a href="https://media.twu556.org/2017/02/14202257/FINAL-TEAL-CBA.pdf">Southwest</a>, where flight attendants are dinged with points for calling in sick, checking in late, or taking more than the allotted personal days, for example. Additional points are added during "critical periods" around the holidays. Accumulate enough points, and you can be fired. The airlines did not respond to requests for comment. Employees showing up to work on time is what keeps vital services like planes and trains running on schedule. One late flight attendant can delay a plane with hundreds of passengers, or an absent conductor can bring rail shipments grinding to a halt. But workers say the point systems form the foundation of punitive attendance policies that force them to work while sick or dangerously fatigued. Some have requested to remain anonymous for fear of losing their jobs, but their employment has been verified by Insider. <h2>Transportation workers across industries are pushing back </h2>Dennis Pierce, the outgoing president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), told Insider that over a thousand workers have left BNSF after the railway implemented its new attendance system this year. This hurt supply chains and led to understaffing, he said. A BNSF spokesperson said the company hired 1,800 train crew personnel and 1,200 new employees on their Engineering, Mechanical and Dispatcher teams in 2022, keeping BNSF "ahead of attrition."For years, Michael Paul Lindsey, a locomotive engineer in Idaho who is a steering-committee member for Railroad Workers United, railroaders "have just been run ragged" from constantly working."Then they impose these oppressive attendance policies basically preventing you from taking time off," Lindsey said. "That was the biggest reason why railroaders became so disgruntled and wanting to go on strike."<div type="image" title="A worker drives near freight trains and shipping containers in a Union Pacific Intermodal Terminal rail yard on November 21, 2022 in Los Angeles, California." height="3441" width="4588" msid="96456177" hostid="261"></div>The restrictive attendance policy helped catalyze what could have been an economy-rattling rail strike, had Congress not stepped in to push through a contract <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-votes-stop-rail-strike-no-paid-sick-days-workers-2022-12">while ignoring workers' asks for any sick days</a>. In 2022 so far, there have been a total of 89 labor protests and strikes in the transportation and warehousing industries, according to Cornell's <a href="https://striketracker.ilr.cornell.edu/">labor action tracker</a> — 15 more than in 2021. On top of attendance systems, railways and airlines share another thing in common: they are <a href="https://www.history.com/news/congress-federal-government-unions-strikes">the only two industries</a> in which the federal government can step in and stop workers from striking. At American Airlines, flight attendants have <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2018/08/17/american-airlines-flight-attendants-hate-policy.html">pushed back</a> on the system for years. "I don't think you'd speak to one flight attendant who thinks the point system is necessarily fair, or balanced," Anthony Cataldo, an American Airlines flight attendant of 33 years, told Insider. "I also don't think you'd speak to a flight attendant out here who would say that some type of policy isn't necessary to keep flight attendants at work, because when people call in sick it affects other flight attendants' quality of work life." Previously, crew members could discuss attendance issues with their flight manager during an emergency or extenuating circumstances and have points removed or reduced, according to Cataldo. Today's system, introduced in 2018, he says, doesn't allow for that kind of wiggle room due to stricter enforcement guidelines.An American Airlines spokesperson did not respond to Insider's request for comment. "What we see now is something completely different from what I started with," Cataldo told Insider, adding that he hasn't heard of anybody getting a point removed under the new system. "There's no mitigating these points. Those days are gone."<h2>When work can be whenever, highly-regulated attendance is even more of a struggle</h2>Attendance policies are made even more complicated by the fact that many workers are required to work unpredictable reserve shifts, meaning they could be called into work at a moment's notice to fill in for someone else. Some airlines also require employees to work "mandatory overtime" shifts during periods of mass flight cancellations or delays. When Spirit Airlines canceled over 1,000 flights last summer, one employee told Insider that some airline staff <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spirit-airlines-meltdown-canceled-delayed-flights-customer-service-shift-2021-8">worked 15-hour shifts</a> in fear of being fired under the point system. "I'd say 95% of our employees work on call. So we're on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year," a BNSF railway conductor of over a decade told Insider. "When you're on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week you cannot schedule a doctor's appointment, take the day off for your wife's birthday. I mean, it's just made it nearly impossible to get any time off." This lack of rest creates a "deep fatigue" that can put rail workers in dangerous situations, Marilee Taylor, who worked as a locomotive engineer for 33 years and retired from BNSF in February, told Insider."I have the moral responsibility, civic responsibility to not drive drunk," she said. "I can operate a train where my reaction time is worse than if I were drunk, and that is because of lack of rest."Are you an airline or rail worker? Got a story or tip to share? Get in touch with these reporters at htowey@insider.com and jkaplan@insider.com

Some flight attendants have their attendance tracked by a game-like 'point system' that they say values efficiency over health

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="262185" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amtrak">Amtrak</keyword>'s <keyword id="4791427" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Acela">Acela</keyword> turned 20 years old in December 2020 and its next era is rapidly approaching.</li><li>New <keyword id="6360847" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trains">trains</keyword> from Alstom, track and station improvements, and non-stop services are set to improve the line, bringing the US closer to European-style high-speed rail.</li><li>I rode Acela for the first time last month and it was enough to make me look forward to what's to come. </li></ul>Amtrak celebrated 20 years of Acela in December 2020 as it prepares to take the service into the next-generation with new trainsets debuting this year. The high-speed line currently connects Washington and Boston with stops in every major city along the way and is a popular alternative to flying thanks to its fast journey times.The same trains have been operating Acela services since its debut in 2000 as the "Acela Express," achieving speeds of around 150 miles per hour at their fastest. They gave Americans a taste of European-style high-speed rail with a sleek design inside and out. But these trainsets are nearing extinction as Amtrak prepares to onboard its new Alstom-made Avelia Liberty trains that have already begun testing across Amtrak's network in preparation for a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amtrak-new-2-billon-acela-trains-are-delayed-full-history-2020-1">2021 debut barring potential delays</a>. The trains are set to improve all the best features of the current Acela trains and more. I took my first Acela ride in November 2020 from Boston to New York and spent just under four hours on the <keyword id="41341" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="train">train</keyword>. It wasn't the fastest way to <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> between the two cities but the train <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pandemic-travel-why-amtrak-is-better-than-flying-in-northeast-2020-12">certainly had its perks over flying</a>. Nevertheless, Acela's 20-year-run wasn't bad for America's first go at high-speed rail in the 21th century. Here's why I'm looking forward to the future of Acela after just one ride. <h2>It's fast but the new trains will be faster</h2><div type="image" title="Amtrak Acela Express" height="2656" width="3541" msid="80725420" hostid="261"></div>The top speed of Amtrak's current Acela trains is 150 miles per hour but they're often bound to travel slower due to the congested and outdated nature of the tracks along the Northeast Corridor. Only a few stretches of track can accommodate the high speeds of which Acela is capable, mostly between Boston and Providence on the New England sector of the route. But Acela is markedly faster than trains like the Northeast Regional, keeping journey times between New York and Boston and New York and Washington under four hours and three hours, respectively. That's also partially because the Acela makes fewer stops than other lines. On our journey out of Boston, I was amazed at how fast we were moving as we zoomed past cars on an adjacent highway. Keep in mind, my rail experience has larger limited been the slower Northeast Regional and my daily commute on the Long Island Rail Road and New York City Subway. Our speed quickly, however, decreased after Providence as we journeyed down the Connecticut coast and entered New York. The new Avelia Liberty trains, however, will be able to travel at faster speeds of up to 160 miles per hour on its initial runs and up to 186 miles per hour once improvements are made, according to <a href="https://nec.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/NextGen-Fact-Sheet_Proof5.pdf">Amtrak</a>. The train's "anticipated tilting system" helps achieve these speeds on the winding tracks of the Northeast Corridor. The system will also provide a smoother ride than Acela's current models. While I didn't have a problem in that regard while sitting, trying to walk while the train was moving did sometimes prove difficult. <h2>More non-stop trains between major cities</h2><div type="image" title="Riding Amtrak Acela During the Pandemic" height="1406" width="1875" msid="80725422" hostid="261"></div>Amtrak inaugurated a new Acela service in September 2019 that saw non-stop trains between New York and Washington. The aptly named "Acela Nonstop" brought travel times down to around two and a half hours, offering a time savings of nearly 30 minutes. Bringing travel times on the line down even more made Acela more competitive against the airlines in the fight for market share. Near-hourly "shuttle" service is offered between New York, Boston, and Washington with perks like prime boarding gates and complimentary alcohol on some flights. I had taken <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pandemic-travel-why-amtrak-is-better-than-flying-in-northeast-2020-12">Acela down from Boston after flying up on Spirit Airlines</a> and the train still took longer, albeit by just a few minutes, even when factoring in getting to the airport, arriving early to go through the security checkpoint, and taking a bus downtown. When competing against the airlines, however, every minute counts. But while a popular alternative to the local trains, the service was quickly suspended due to reducing ridership during the height of the pandemic and its aftermath. Having taken a total of three Acela trips during the pandemic, I haven't seen trains more than one-quarter full, and that's even with Amtrak limiting capacity at 50%. Once the pandemic ends and Acela's riders return to the rails, the time may come to not only bring back Acela Nonstop but increase its offering to include trains to Boston or even offer a hybrid that cuts out smaller stops like Metropark in New Jersey or New Carrollton, Maryland.Amtrak has 40 trainsets on order, 40% more than the current number of Acela trains in service, allowing for more frequent service and room to expand the Nonstop. And with the new Alstom trainsets, maybe New York to Washington, and vice versa, can be done in under two and a half hours. <h2>The new trains will feature expanded onboard amenities</h2><div type="image" title="Amtrak new Acela trains interior" height="975" width="1300" msid="80725423" hostid="261"></div>I was impressed after stepping on Amtrak to see the amenities it offered including two 120v AC power outlets at every seat, complimentary WiFi, a tray table and footrest, and overhead lighting. The WiFi was strong enough to facilitate a Zoom meeting in which I participated during the ride with no interruptions or lack of quality.There were more amenities on Acela than on the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flying-on-spirit-airlines-newest-jet-airbus-a320neo-review-photos-2020-12">Spirit Airlines aircraft on which I'd flown to Boston</a>. Amtrak is promising more amenities on the Avelia Liberty trainsets including USB charging ports, stronger WiFi, and adjustable reading lights. Digital signage will also give the train a "futuristic look," as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amtrak-new-acela-train-cars-photo-2019-8#read-more-about-amtraks-acela-express-11">Business Insider's Graham Rapier</a> reported, while seats will have winged headrests and handles on which to grab to maintain balance when the train tilts. And in the cafe car, Amtrak says the new trains will have a greater selection from which to choose. Renderings show a new bar-like dining area with countertops, much like what current trains have instead of the tables found on the Northeast Regional.<h2>A new train hall has come to Pennsylvania Station complete with new lounges</h2><div type="image" title="Moynihan Train Hall" height="1665" width="2221" msid="80725425" hostid="261"></div>"One entered the city like a god; one scuttles in now like a rat," art critic Vincent Scully once wrote, as noted by the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/arts/design/a-proposal-for-penn-station-and-madison-square-garden.html?auth=login-google">New York Times</a>, regarding the transformation of Pennsylvania Station in the 20th century from an architectural masterpiece to a subterranean waiting room. New York has always been an outlier in the Northeast Corridor as featuring perhaps the least endearing station in the system. Most stations along the route in major cities - whether it be Union Station in Washington, DC, Pennsylvania Station in Baltimore, or South Station in Boston, and 30th Street Station in Philadelphia - feature the classical architecture befitting a train hall. But the days of a subpar Pennsylvania Station days are thankfully over. The long-awaited <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-moynihan-train-hall-photo-tour-penn-station-amtrak-2021-1">Moynihan Train Hall in New York City opened on January 1, 2021,</a> bringing back the glory of the original Pennsylvania Station before its demolition in the 1960s. Amtrak has a new home in New York and Acela passengers have a new lounge to enjoy. The new Metropolitan Lounge replaced ClubAcela and is accessible to Acela's first class passengers, riders with elite frequent rider status, and riders in sleeper cars.Lounge patrons will be greeted with complimentary food and beverages, power outlets, USB charging ports, and a business center.Visitors may once again arrive like gods, especially if just disembarking from the new Acela trains.

I rode on Amtrak's Acela for the first time and while it wasn't the high-speed journey I expected, I can't wait to see what's next

Passengers will get the thrill of riding under the sea while travelling between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in the first <keyword id="490067" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bullet-train">bullet train</keyword> of the country. 
 The 508 km long <keyword id="3126397" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mumbai-Ahmedabad-high-speed-rail-corridor">Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor</keyword> will have a 21 km long tunnel under the sea, said a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the public transporter's ambitious bullet train project. 
 
While most part of the corridor is proposed to be on the elevated track, there will be a stretch after Thane creek towards Virar which will go under the sea as per the detailed project report by JICA. 
 
Estimated to cost about Rs 97,636 crore, 81 per cent of the funding for the project will come by way of a loan from Japan. The project cost includes possible cost escalation, interest during construction and import duties. 
 
It is a soft loan for 50 years at 0.1 per cent annual interest with 15 years' moratorium, said the official. 
 Rolling stock and other equipment like signalling and power system will be imported from Japan as per the <keyword id="1169184" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="loan-agreement">loan agreement</keyword>. 
 
The official said the loan agreement with Japan is slated to be signed by the end of the year and construction work is likely to begin by the end of 2018. 
 According top priority to the first of its kind project, railways has formed <keyword id="3274960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-High-Speed-Rail-Corporation-Limited">National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited</keyword> (NHSRCL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV), with a paid-up capital of Rs 500 crore. 
 
A search committee comprising senior government officials including Cabinet Secretary, Chairman Railway Board and Secretary DOPT among others is on the job currently to select the Managing Director and five directors for the NHSRCL. 
 
Railways has already allotted Rs 200 crore for the SPV. Maharashtra and Gujarat will have equity of 25 per cent each, while the Railways will have 50 per cent in the SPV. 
 
The bullet train is expected to cover 508 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in about two hours, running at a maximum speed of 350 kmph and operating speed of 320 kmph. 
 
At present, Duronto Express takes about seven hours to cover the distance between the two financial centres. 
 For timely completion of the project, a joint committee has been formed under the vice-chairman of NITI Aayog with the secretaries of the <keyword id="6423836" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Department-of-Industrial-Policy-and-Promotion">Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion</keyword> (DIPP), Departments of Economic Affairs and Foreign Ministry as its members along with the Railway Board Chairman.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train to travel 21-km under the sea near Thane

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Kathryn Garcia is one of the leading candidates in the Democratic primary for NYC mayor.</li><li>She was the city's sanitation commissioner from 2014 to 2020.</li><li>Her standing in the polls has risen following a New York Times Editorial Board endorsement.</li></ul>In the shadow of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tour-of-luxury-american-copper-buildings-2016-4">American Copper Building and its "dancing" towers</a> on a sweltering afternoon in late May, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-mayoral-candidates-democrat-primary-date-ranked-choice-voting-2021-5">Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia</a> stood on a cramped Second Avenue sidewalk to talk about homelessness and affordable housing.Young professionals of Manhattan's Murray Hill neighborhood hurried by without paying much attention, and a visibly exhausted nurse wondered aloud who this person was and why they were blocking the sidewalk."Running for mayor?" another scrub-clad pedestrian replied, not entirely certain of the identity of the former sanitation commissioner and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/10/opinion/kathryn-garcia-nyt-endorsement-nyc-mayor.html">winner of The New York Times Editorial Board's endorsement</a>.Other than campaign staff and a handful of reporters, no one seemed to be paying attention.Even though Garcia has been touted by opponents for her managerial experience and impressive resume in city government - with <a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2021/05/01/nyc-elections-2021-whos-running-andrew-yang-kathryn-garcia-deputy-mayor-talk">Andrew Yang going so far as to say he'd appoint her as his deputy mayor</a> - she has only recently begun to surge in the limited public polling available ahead of the June 22 Democratic primary.The <a href="http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20210612_WNBC_Telemundo-47_POLITICO_Marist-Poll_NYC-NOS-and-Tables_RCV_20210611256-3.pdf">latest poll from Marist College had her in second place</a> with 17% of the vote, seven points behind Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Marist had previously sat out the primary, along with the other top three pollsters in New York, Siena College and Quinnipiac University, which all cited concerns around simulating ranked choice voting.Her "<a href="https://www.amny.com/news/garcia-housing-heals-homeless-end-plan/">housing first, not shelter first</a>" pitch promises to create 10,000 units of supportive housing, which she argues will have a much better effect on reducing homelessness than relying heavily on shelters where people fear for their safety.Garcia also has a $3 billion guaranteed jobs program for all New Yorkers between the ages of 16 and 24, part of an effort to address <keyword id="1463848" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="violent-crime">violent crime</keyword> and help rejuvenate the city's economy.Rarely have rival campaigns attempted to challenge her on policy details, though Yang and Adams have begun <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/02/kathryn-garcia-new-york-mayoral-race-491611">evoking images of trash bags crowding city streets</a> in an attempt to ding her tenure running the Department of Sanitation under outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio.Garcia caught up with Insider on Sunday afternoon for a phone interview to make the case for why she's the competent manager the Big Apple needs right now, and why voters should rank her above Adams and Yang in the city's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-just-embraced-a-revolutionary-ranked-choice-voting-system-2019-11">debut of ranked choice voting</a>.<div type="image" title="New York City mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia speaks to reporters." height="1249" width="2500" msid="83525664" hostid="261"></div>This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Just to start out, I was wondering if you've had any thoughts on campaigning versus governing, and whether you've picked up any skills on the campaign trail that you wouldn't have otherwise.Well, the first thing I have to say is I love campaigning in-person and not on Zoom [laughs]. Campaigning on Zoom was not fun. Yeah, in many ways there are a lot of similarities. Some of the work that I did while I was in government was how do you advocate for programs, and how do you pitch them, which similar to campaigning. You have a story to tell, there's a message you need, you want people to be involved, and that feels very similar. One that I haven't quite mastered is that I talk to voters for far too long [laughs]. My staff is like, you have to stop asking all of these questions about what's happening in their lives, what they're facing. So that, I'm still working on. Kind of like a reporter. Reporters want to talk to people.There's a lot of confusion about the role the state plays in running the MTA [Metropolitan Transit Authority] and <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2019/04/11/subways-us-expensive-cost-comparison/">why it's so much more expensive to build train lines than it is in most other big cities around the world</a>. What's your understanding of how feasible subway fixes would be under your administration, and how much easier would it be if there were a different governor than <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-cuomo-scandals-summary-sexual-harassment-nursing-homes-impeachment-resignation-2021-3">Andrew Cuomo</a>? First and foremost, New Yorkers don't care. They just want to get to work on time. You know, as the mayor and when I'm there, I will do this: You have to figure out how to work with the governor, as well as with our state elected officials and the board of the MTA to get the Fast Forward program done, which is, in essence, the signals, the things that allow the trains to move more efficiently.And they're all very old and analog now, right? Old and analog. It's why you get stuck in tunnels, it's why we can't run as many trains in rush hour - because they don't have a modern signal. And it has got to be fixed, because that's how we get people back on the subway, by being the fastest, and having it be reliable is the most important thing for New Yorkers. I'm going to work with the governor to make sure that happens for them, and he can take as much credit as he likes. All I want to do is deliver for New York City residents.Would part of that involve letting the trains move at a higher velocity? They've been slowed down ever since those crashes in the 1990s, so if Fast Foward were implemented, would that allow the MTA to raise the speeds? All of that is made possible by having the guts of the system be modern. You've emphasized completing things like the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gateway-project-tunnel-red-tape-2016-5">Gateway tunnel project</a>, the 2nd Avenue subway line extension, the <a href="https://www.6sqft.com/new-proposal-turns-the-bqes-triple-cantilever-into-a-three-level-linear-park/">triple cantilever pedestrian park over the BQE</a> [Brooklyn-Queens Expressway] - do you think there'll be any bandwidth left for new game-changing projects? What kind of money do you think you'll be working with between leftover stimulus funds and fixed costs like the city's <a href="https://cbcny.org/research/nyc-debt-outstanding">debt payments</a>? Well, there's some things that also are partnerships with the state. Like even the BQE is a partnership with the state, but we've gotta actually fix it. Because not fixing it means it could fall down, and having the fed also help us with <keyword id="17408" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="infrastructure">infrastructure</keyword> money - I think there still is a high likelihood that something passes at the federal level - we've gotta be ready with our projects. But there are some things we can't afford not to do, and [the BQE] is one of those projects we can't afford not to do.There are several projects across the boroughs that are real game-changers, particularly on transportation. For example, light rail on Staten Island, as well as in Queens, doing somewhat like what was done on the West Side with the High Line to try and get the <a href="https://www.thequeensway.org/">QueensWay</a>, or decking some of the Cross Bronx [Expressway] so that you could create a connection between neighborhoods but also opportunities for green space that will change how livable a neighborhood is.What are your biggest worries about Eric Adams and Andrew Yang? For both of my competitors, it's just the lack of broad management experience. The borough president manages 100 people. I managed 10,000, usually - or more depending on how many jobs I had [in <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/081-19/mayor-de-blasio-names-kathryn-garcia-interim-chair-nycha">interim roles running departments under de Blasio</a>] - with unions, with city dollars, with all of the challenges that come along with all of that. Similarly, Andrew Yang has run a business, but not a large one, and not been responsible for leading a force that has to deliver every day, and deliver a lot of different things, whether or not that's safety or cleanliness.And to be quite honest with you, some of Eric's proposals on policing are really just throwbacks. They're not new and creative. Like how are we really driving the data? Where are our newest tactics? How are we really gonna integrate that with some of the longer term solutions where you're making investment years ahead on education, or violence interrupters? And a real ability to understand how police work and how unions work, and how you can actually create culture change.Since public safety and violent crime have become such a central issue in the race, when you were in the de Blasio administration, relations between the mayor and the police started to get a bit ugly. Is there anything you would have done differently? And what do you think is the best case to be made for people who no longer trust the police, and haven't for a long time? Having a real vision for where you want to go before you're in a crisis, creating the connections to your police force, you know, I did that very effectively with sanitation workers. You've gotta actually lead from the front, and you've gotta follow the data and make sure that we're using tactics that are effective at stopping and preventing crime. Kettling doesn't work, and there was a moment last summer where it was almost like he didn't want his eyes to show him what was happening. It is driven very much by a lack of trust between police communities. We've got to rebuild police and community relations. (Garcia makes an aside about someone putting out their trash where they're not supposed to as she passes by in a campaign car.) I'm sorry, I got distracted. We also need to make it so that we have a gun suppression unit who does the real investigative work to be digging into what is triggering a lot of these shootings and really digging into the intelligence of it. We also have to stop the flow of guns. The iron pipeline is a significant problem, and doing gun buybacks, they have the possibility of getting a gun off the street and saving a life.You've gotta walk the walk, it's not just talk the talk. [People who've lost trust in the police] have gotta see it, they've gotta be talking to police officers, rebuilding that relationship. It takes a long time to build trust and a very short time to break it. An argument is not going to convince them, it's going to be seeing people who are police officers being respectful to their community - in both the large and small ways - that day today, they're treated with respect and professionalism.

Q&A: Kathryn Garcia says her NYC mayoral rivals Andrew Yang and Eric Adams lack the "broad management experience" for the job

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> plans to extend a controversial scheme that rewards and punishes citizens’ <keyword id="463192" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="behavior">behavior</keyword> to include degree plagiarism, <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cheated-in-class-no-mortgage-for-you-chinese-government-warns-mgfklrc2x">The Times</a> reported.</li><li>This means that cheats may be unable to access public transport, mortgages, and even job promotions.</li><li>Some regions have their own versions of the national schemes. Between them, they penalize cheating at video games, not sorting rubbish, and not attending restaurant reservations.</li></ul>University students in China who plagiarize work could be cut off from getting a mortgage, lose access to public transport, and even have their internet speed slowed under plans to expand Beijing's controversial <keyword id="6057517" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Social-Credit">social credit</keyword> scheme.The country plans to include cheating at university as part of its <keyword id="9303907" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="social-credit-system">social credit system</keyword>, which rates people based on their behavior and determines their access to public transport, mortgages, universities, and even job promotions."We will make any fraudulent acts involving degree papers part of one's credit to be included in the national information-sharing platform," the ministries of education and finance said in a joint document with the National Development and Reform Commission, per <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cheated-in-class-no-mortgage-for-you-chinese-government-warns-mgfklrc2x">The Times</a>.China trialed its controversial social credit scheme regionally in 2009 before starting a national pilot in 2014. Though it is still being developed, China intends to fully roll out the system <a href="https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3096090/what-chinas-social-credit-system-and-why-it-controversial">by the end of 2020</a>. It covered 1.02 billion people by the end of 2019 according to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3096090/what-chinas-social-credit-system-and-why-it-controversial">the People's Bank of China</a>. Local governments can introduce their own schemes, meaning that different behaviors are penalized in different regions. The city of Guangzhou began <a href="https://www.sohu.com/a/320082697_100191050">penalizing people who cheat in exams</a> in August 2019, for example. Other "negative" behaviors that make people's ratings drop in local schemes include dishonest and fraudulent financial behavior, playing loud music or eating on public transport, not sorting rubbish, violating traffic rules, cheating on video games, and not attending reservations at restaurants or hotels.Citizens can bring up their ratings by donating blood, donating to charity, volunteering, and praising the government on social media.The national program — which is adding cheating at university — is more limited, and mainly includes bad debt, court judgments, and antisocial behaviour on public transport.Mike Pence <a href="https://time.com/collection/davos-2019/5502592/china-social-credit-score/">described</a> it in 2018 as "an Orwellian system premised on controlling virtually every facet of human life."By June 2019, people who were classed as "untrustworthy," or on the scheme's blacklist, had been denied a total of 26.82 million plane tickets and 5.96 million high-speed rail tickets, according to <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2019-07/17/c_1124761947.htm">the National Development and Reform Commission</a>.And in September 2019 alone, 513 people who were spotted smoking in non-smoking zones owned by the railway or boarding a train without paying were banned from travelling by rail, <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cheated-in-class-no-mortgage-for-you-chinese-government-warns-mgfklrc2x">The Times</a> reported.

China's university cheats could lose access to mortgages and fast internet under plans to expand Beijing's 'Orwellian' behavior rating system

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rahsaan "New York" Thomas is a writer incarcerated in <keyword id="7420775" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="San-Quentin-State-Prison">San Quentin State Prison</keyword> in <keyword id="2379" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="California">California</keyword>. He was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting for cohosting <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/about">the podcast "Ear Hustle,"</a> and he has contributed to The Marshall Project and San Quentin <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">News</keyword>.</li><li>He's served 19 years of a 55-years-to-life sentence for murder, which includes 35 years for using a firearm.</li><li>The San Quentin <keyword id="6362397" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="prison">prison</keyword> has one of the largest clusters of <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> cases in the US, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html">according to The New York Times</a>. More than a third of incarcerated people and staff members, totaling nearly 2,500 people, have tested positive. At least 21 people there <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/04/san-quentin-covid-19-deaths-prison-outbreak">have died from COVID-19</a>.</li><li>In this essay, Thomas writes about what it's like to get the coronavirus, says San Quentin is handling the pandemic in a way that puts more people at risk, and argues that COVID-19 is effectively another punishment added to his sentence.</li><li>In response to the points raised in this essay, Dana Simas, the press director for the California State Department of Corrections, told Insider that San Quentin had put together <a href="https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/covid19/san-quentin-state-prison-response/">a plan in response to the outbreak</a>. She said it involved limiting "movement and interaction among the incarcerated population and staff to only that identified as critical" and offering more extensive testing and healthcare measures.</li></ul>I used to love watching dominoes fall.As they hit the next in line and the next in line, they created a sense of excitement and wonder as I watched how far they'd go.Now, however, I'm seeing COVID-19 knock us all down in a line, just like dominoes. So they don't seem so cool anymore.San Quentin has effectively made sure everyone's at a high risk of getting the virus. It's Thursday, July 2, and positive COVID-19 cases still infect North Block.The corrections officers aren't good at telling us whether we're positive. For some people, the only hint has been when an officer keys your door, meaning you're forced to stay in your cell while everyone else goes to chow. When they're done, you pick up your tray or sack lunch with everyone else who tested positive. They don't clean the railings or anything between groups of people with positive cases and negative cases. Everyone mingles in the same space, one after the other.Everyone who lives in North Block will have COVID-19 sooner or later. It's up to the disease whether we live or die because the system won't release people who committed violent crimes, and that's almost all of us in the cell blocks.No emergency consideration is being given for the fact that some of us haven't committed another violent crime in 20 years and, therefore, aren't violent anymore.Is that justice? Should I die of COVID-19 because of what I did, when the prosecutor didn't even seek the <keyword id="6384243" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="death-penalty">death penalty</keyword>? The message I'm getting is that you would rather see us dead than let us go free.<h2>We're all going to get it</h2>Today is July 3. Last night I got my results back from the June 23 COVID-19 test. The virus was detected in my system. I have COVID-19.Maybe the virus will show the mercy the system didn't to some of us. Most people are reporting mild symptoms, like "I can't smell anything" or "I can't taste anything." Some have had chills or body aches, or pounding headaches, like me.Not all of us are so "blessed." They say my neighbor Ron is on a respirator at an outside hospital. I know he left this unit with a fever even before the test results came back. At this point, my only remaining symptom is the feeling that my nasal passage is congested and I can't smell anything. I am fine otherwise.<div type="image" title="rahsaan thomas ken burns" height="1603" width="2137" msid="77381705" hostid="261"></div>Last night, during feeding, someone on a tier right under me went out on a stretcher because he couldn't breathe. I wonder, will my nasal passage close to that point?That's the worst part of the virus — stressing over other people. I feel strong; I believe I will live without a trip to the intensive-care unit. At least 21 people linked to the cases at San Quentin <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/04/san-quentin-covid-19-deaths-prison-outbreak">are already dead</a>. And since so many people are seniors with high-risk medical issues, I expect dozens more. I know five people in this building who have served over 40 years and are close to going before a board and getting out, and I wonder, will they make it?<div type="image" title="san quentin prison gate close coronavirus guard" height="2000" width="2667" msid="77381707" hostid="261"></div>It's so sad that I haven't been able to call and comfort the people who love me. They just announced we can trade our shower time for a phone call. I haven't showered in four days — good thing I can't smell anything — but I'll pick the phone over the shower. (For any of my loved ones and anyone with a loved one inside San Quentin: If you see that Texas area code from the prison's collect telephone system, pick up and press 5 to accept the charges. You don't know when you'll get to talk to us again.) Nor can I do anything to help the old-timers. I feel so freaking helpless because it's already too late for most of them. They either have the virus or will get it real soon.<h2>My sentence: 55 years to life plus COVID-19</h2>I do take accountability for my actions. I'm Black, so I know I have to be the change I want to see in the world, and that means not blaming others for my choices because no matter what, I had a choice. I might not like any of my choices, but it was still up to me to choose, and I chose wrong.I hate this system built on racism. It's a racism that created neighborhoods with more obstacles than opportunities and then held anybody who didn't beat the odds fully accountable for our bad choices. Where's the justice? It can't be that those who have killed deserve to die in prison from a virus.<div type="image" title="coronavirus san quentin death protest prison" height="1667" width="2223" msid="77381714" hostid="261"></div>We still haven't seen justice for George Floyd. It took his murder just to get a few cops fired. And if it weren't for phones smart enough to catch him and massive demonstrations, Derek Chauvin would still be free. Even with the 8:46 video, the attorney general warned us that it's hard to convict police officers.Nobody is in prison for Breonna Taylor. Hell, I just saw a <a href="https://www.fullframefest.org/film/who-killed-vincent-chin/">documentary</a> where two white men got probation for beating an Asian man to death with a baseball bat in Detroit in the late '80s. In California, a white guy got probation for rape. God knows how many Blacks the KKK murdered without prosecution. Here I stand with double life sentences for defending a friend and myself against armed robbers during a shaky business deal. My sentence is 55 years to life — plus the virus.<div type="image" title="san quentin prison coronavirus" height="1676" width="2235" msid="77381724" hostid="261"></div>For the circumstances of my crimes and guys like me, the law says 15-to-life for second-degree murder and 5 1/2 years for attempted voluntary manslaughter. I'll have 20 years on August 14. But I was sentenced to an additional 35-to-life for using a gun. Yet no politician is serving a day in prison for accepting NRA money to keep the gun-show loopholes open that flood the streets with illegal guns, like mine.So I ask you: What is your definition of justice? I once thought justice meant inflicting pain back on the culprits. Now, more aware, I see justice as healing, not inflicting more harm.<h2>I killed one person. The coronavirus is killing more.</h2>Most people are as good as their circumstances. But when you're Black, you have to be better than your circumstances, work harder, endure more, beat the violence of racism with the love of MLK, not more violence.They could have released 900 people from San Quentin without a crime spree. For people who have committed violent crimes and served life sentences, <a href="https://law.stanford.edu/press/stanford-criminal-justice-center-issues-first-major-study-of-california-prisoners-serving-life-sentences-with-possibility-of-parole-2/">the recidivism rate is dramatically low</a>, less than 2%, according to studies, and none for a new violent crime.Most people age out of crime after 40. Hell, a lot of these "menaces to society" in here are gray-haired old men on walkers and canes. We're the safest group to release, but I guess "violent criminal" is the new dog-whistle word for Blacks. We get <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-systemic-racism-in-charts-graphs-data-2020-6#black-prisoners-are-overrepresented-in-the-us-prison-population-compared-to-their-share-of-the-total-us-population-20">arrested more for violent crimes than other races</a>, so despite the lowest recidivism rates, the doors remain closed to those who have committed violent crimes even during a freaking deadly pandemic.<div type="image" title="san quentin prison coronavirus death protest" height="1667" width="2223" msid="77381729" hostid="261"></div>Yeah, there are some people who aren't ready, some who may never be ready to safely release. But there are more than 3,200 people here, of which I firmly believe we can squeeze a list of 900 people to release without endangering the public. Some would even improve society.And don't tell me COVID-19 is a natural disaster and not the system's fault. Out there in the world, yeah. But in prison, you can't get the virus unless someone brings it in. In our case, they transferred the virus here from another prison. Then they didn't learn and transferred it from here to another prison — instead of letting people go.As horrible as I was years ago, I killed one person. Now <a href="https://www.kron4.com/news/california/22nd-inmate-dies-from-covid-19-at-san-quentin/">22 people</a> have died in my prison alone from this COVID-19 fiasco.And you call me violent?

I'm incarcerated at San Quentin prison for 55 years to life. I didn't think things could get worse until COVID-19.

Think Mumbai and we think of the ‘maximum’ city; the city that never sleeps; the city on the Indian coastline that never ceases to amaze with its spirit and perseverance; the city that never loses the spring in its step. 
 
Till now, the city lived and thrived upon its local train network. Most of the population must have spent most of their time in those trains, only visiting their respective homes to catch up on food and sleep. That may sound like an overstatement to many who don’t live there. But the truth is this train network, stretching up to 465 km and built by the British way back in 1853, forms the very core of the city’s soul. 
 Only recently, the city that is always on the move, got wind beneath its wings. It was a historic occasion for Mumbaikars when the <keyword id="117023" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai-metro">Mumbai Metro</keyword> started rolling on elevated tracks, connecting 11.40 km and helping 700 million passengers reach their destinations. Needless to say, the metro has added immense pace to their already busy life. 
 
Just like the human facelift, it adds to the character of the city when it gets a metro. The city then ceases to live in time warp and joins the cadre of the ‘selected few’ cities in the world which are green, futuristic and efficient in every way. 
 
Other ‘metro’ cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Gurgaon and Bangalore are already contributing in reducing traffic density while the upcoming metro rail projects in cities like Jaipur, Kochi, Hyderabad and Chennai will ensure similar advantages. Plans to expand train operations are also afoot in the ‘metro’ cities. 
 
Cities such as Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Bhopal are also making a beeline to get the ‘metro’ projects approved although they do not qualify for the same due to limited population. But this may spell good news for international players who see an opportunity to participate in building the country’s infrastructure. 
 As India has been one of the favourite destinations for international investments, countries like South Korea are showing interest in building the transport infrastructure of the country. In fact, Korean company Hyndai Rotem recently placed a huge order with Voith for the extension of <keyword id="6366797" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Delhi-Metro">Delhi Metro</keyword>. 
 
It is no wonder then that the infrastructure of Mumbai is undergoing a ‘Gen Z’ category of facelift. You need to keep in mind that the cities clocking growth are the ones which are driving the new economy and the facilities created for these cities with tremendous ‘growth potential’ are presumed to be world class, too. 
 
To understand this better, we need to compare the Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore Metro with those in Singapore, Hong Kong or New York. It will be a fair comparison because all the metro systems of the world today serve the same purpose – that of catering to different pockets of urban population. 
 
Interestingly, a metro city is defined as one that has found solutions to meet its ever-growing transportation needs. A ‘global city’ is the one that has more than 60-80% of its population travelling by public transportation. And a metro rail plays a significant role in this marker of progress. It also efficiently addresses a city’s growing energy needs while bringing down the carbon footprint. 
 
The world’s oldest metro system is the London Underground or the Tube that celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2013. This one has stood the test of time, compared to most other metros in the world, and has kept London comparatively free from traffic congestion. 
 
Compared to the world metro networks, India has miles to tread and catch up with the speed. The Indian metro lines don’t come close to the technology advancements featured by the trains across the globe. But then, India has a unique problem – the high density of population. 
 
However, Hong Kong, which decidedly grapples with the same challenge, does its act rather efficiently. The Hong Kong MTR (Metro) has earned praises for its presentation and schedule. It has also kept up with modern technology and offers free Wi-Fi services to passengers. 
 Seoul’s <keyword id="6366667" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Subway">Subway</keyword> is managed by three companies and has a hassle-free run day after day, on nine dedicated lines. Technology planners from the world over come here to get their lessons in connectivity. 
 
While the Singapore Metro has been given partial thumbs-down by users for keeping the ticket queues long and inefficient, the London Tube is constantly undergoing upgrades in order to cope with modern-day requirements. The Paris Metro hasn’t done too badly either, considering the fact that it is one of the five busiest cities in the world. However, technology upgradation seems to be the need of the hour. 
 
Now that India is embracing speedy and efficient transport systems, we must learn the nitty-gritty from the global counterparts wherever possible. But one thing stands very clear. The country has arrived late, but has arrived for sure. And India is here to stay in the global race when it comes to growth and progress.

You Searched For "titagarh rail systems limited" and got 9 results

Audi Q8 limited edition races into the festive season with a ₹1.18 crore price tag

Sourabh Jain

Former SpaceX colleagues join forces to build autonomous freight train cars, which aim to boost efficiency and ease supply-chain pressures

Zahra Tayeb

Some flight attendants have their attendance tracked by a game-like 'point system' that they say values efficiency over health

Hannah Towey,Juliana Kaplan

I rode on Amtrak's Acela for the first time and while it wasn't the high-speed journey I expected, I can't wait to see what's next

Thomas Pallini

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train to travel 21-km under the sea near Thane

BI India Bureau

Q&A: Kathryn Garcia says her NYC mayoral rivals Andrew Yang and Eric Adams lack the "broad management experience" for the job

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China's university cheats could lose access to mortgages and fast internet under plans to expand Beijing's 'Orwellian' behavior rating system

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