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Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said India will soon overtake the United States to become the second-largest country in metro rail connectivity. He was speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day Urban Conclave organised by the Kerala Local Self-Government Department (LSGD) here as part of framing an urban policy for the state. Khattar said India currently ranks third after China and the US in metro rail network length. At present, metro services are operational in 24 cities covering 1,065 km. Soon, we will surpass the US, which has 1,400 km of metro network. Five more projects, adding 955 km, are in the pipeline, he said. The minister said India's urbanisation rate, 20 per cent in the 1960s, had risen to 30 per cent by 2027. By 2057, when India celebrates 100 years of Independence, urbanisation will reach 50 per cent, he said. Highlighting e-mobility as a key component of urban development, Khattar said 10,000 new buses have been ..
A medical transport plane crashed and caught fire on Tuesday on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, killing four people, the tribe said in a statement. The crash involving the CSI Aviation company out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, occurred near the airport in Chinle, about 200 miles (321 kilometres) northeast of Flagstaff. Those on board were medical personnel who were on their way to a hospital to pickup a patient. The Beechcraft 300 crashed in the early afternoon while landing at the airport, Federal Aviation Administration officials said in an email. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating. The tribe said the cause of the crash is unknown. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said in a social media post that he was heartbroken to learn of the crash. "These were people who dedicated their lives to saving others, and their loss is felt deeply across the Navajo Nation," he said.
The Goa government has temporarily suspended the issuance of new Rent-a-Cab licenses in light of the growing safety and traffic concerns arising from the unchecked proliferation of self-driven rental vehicles, a minister has said. The decision was taken following a communication from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) highlighting a series of serious road accidents involving the Rent-a-Car and Rent-a-Bike vehicles, Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho informed the state assembly in a written reply on Wednesday. He was responding to a question raised in the House by Independent MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco. Godinho said many of these incidents were attributed to rash and negligent driving by tourists, including cases of driving under the influence of alcohol. "The matter was deliberated upon in detail during the State Transport Authority's (STA) meeting held on February 24, 2025, where it was unanimously resolved to keep the issuance of new Rent-a-Cab licenses in abeyance in the ..
Ride-hailing app Rapido is in the midst of a 500-city expansion this year in India, a market where "vastness and depth" of mobility opportunity offers a high-growth upside, according to co-founder Pavan Guntupalli. On whether the company is eyeing an IPO in the near term, Guntupalli told PTI that Rapido is clocking healthy growth, is well capitalised and "will take a call depending on situation". The focus, for now, is on growth, he asserts. The commute app, which offers about 33 lakh rides every single day on its auto, bike taxi, and cab services expects to grow "sustainably". "We are seeing strong growth, we have already turned market leaders in the two-wheeler industry, and the three-wheeler industry. And we are also glad that in a couple of cities we operate in, we are also market leaders in the four wheeler-industry. We are currently doing the five lakh rides in cabs and expect strong growth, and this is on the back of our SaaS (software as a service) innovation," he said ...
All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) national president Harish Sabharwal on Friday asked the government to address issues like exorbitant increase in toll tax rates and misuse of the e-challan system. The charge handover and oath taking ceremony of the newly elected office bearers of AIMTC was held on Friday, where Amritlal Madan, the outgoing President of AIMTC, officially passed on his responsibilities to the newly elected president Sabharwal and his team. AIMTC in a statement said some of the key issues that will be high on Sabharwal's agenda include abolition of border checkposts in the states especially in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. The truckers body said exorbitant increase in toll tax rates, checking misuse of E-challan system and impractical ban on 10-year old diesel vehicles in DelhiNCR are also on agenda of the newly-elected president of AIMTC. AIMTC also demanded that the government should constitute 'Drivers Samajik Suraksha Welfare Board' with ...
The year 2024 saw both the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the National Capital Region Transport Corporation make remarkable strides in advancing urban transportation infrastructure. While the DMRC achieved key breakthroughs, including the first twin tunnels under Phase-IV construction and the completion of an 865-metre underground tunnel between Chhatarpur and Chhatarpur Mandir Station, the NCRTC opened two major sections, signed crucial agreements, and was lauded by the German Ambassador who took a ride on its Namo Bharat train. Despite these advancements, the year was also marked by a tragic incident for the DMRC. On February 8, a portion of the Gokulpuri Metro Station on the Pink Line, located in northeast Delhi, collapsed, resulting in the death of a 53-year-old man and injuries to four others. In response, the DMRC carried out a thorough inspection and took corrective measures that included the removal of concrete structures and installation of stainless-steel railings at fi
In a relief for commercial vehicle drivers, the Supreme Court on Wednesday held that a person holding a driving licence for a light motor vehicle (LMV) is also entitled to drive a transport vehicle with an unladen weight not exceeding 7,500 kg. The judgement of a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud is a jolt to insurance companies which had been rejecting claims if accidents involved transport vehicles of a particular weight and if the drivers were not authorised to drive them as per legal stipulation. There is no empirical data that LMV driving licence holders are responsible for rise in road accidents in the country, Justice Hrishikesh Roy, who wrote the unanimous verdict for the bench, said. He said the LMV driving licence holders, who spent maximum time behind the wheels, are seeking an answer from the court and their grievances cannot be rejected on technical grounds. Besides the CJI and Justice Roy, the bench also comprised Justices P S ...
The government on Wednesday issued scheme guidelines to support pilot projects based on the use of green hydrogen as fuel in buses, trucks and four-wheelers. The scheme will be implemented with a total budgetary outlay of Rs 496 crore till the financial year 2025-26, a statement by the Ministry of New Renewable Energy said. The central government has come out with guidelines for undertaking pilot projects for using green hydrogen in the transport sector. "Scheme Guidelines for Implementation of Pilot Projects for Use of Green Hydrogen in the Transport Sector" have been issued by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) on February 14, 2024, under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, according to the statement. With the falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers, it is expected that vehicles based on green hydrogen can become cost-competitive over the next few years. Future economies of scale and rapid technological advancements in the field of vehicles powered by ..
About 80 percent of buses in Tamil Nadu were being operated on Tuesday amid the strike call given by various transport unions, including those affiliated to the CPI(M) and AIADMK, officials said. The state government buses were operated in several parts including Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Kanyakumari districts, benefiting the commuters, they said. In Chennai, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) authorities ensured the buses were operated as usual and that the strike did not impact the public much, a senior official said. "The MTC buses were being operated as scheduled from 6 am and the public are requested not to panic," a senior transport official said. "About 80 percent" of the buses were being run in the state, he said without divulging further details. The trade unions had announced the strike demanding implementation of "6 point charter of demands." It includes initiation of talks for enhanced wages (15th wage revision pact), filling vacant posts, and release o
Commercial vehicles and other modes of public transport stayed off the roads in most parts of Assam on Friday, owing to a 48-hour strike called by a joint forum of transporters' unions to protest against the new penal law on hit-and-run cases. Office-goers had a difficult time reaching their workplaces as buses, taxis and app cabs didn't ply, abiding by the strike call. "The government only wants to blame drivers for any unfortunate incident even if they may not have committed the crime. Instead of improving road conditions, they are penalising the poor drivers," said Ramen Das, the convenor of Assam Motor Worker Associations' Joint Platform. "The new law on hit-and-run cases is anti-drivers and is against owners of vehicles. We call for a strike of all vehicles from 5 am on Friday to 5 am on Sunday to press for our demand for withdrawal of the legislation," Das said. Talks with officials of the state government on Thursday night failed to make any headway, he added. Under the ...
India's diesel consumption slumped by 7.5 per cent in November on a fall in demand in the transportation sector where some took Diwali break, preliminary data of state-owned firms showed on Friday. Diesel consumption dropped to 6.78 million tonnes in November from 7.33 million tonnes a year back. Industry officials said this was largely because some truckers take Diwali break to visit their homes and the demand is largely going to come back this month. Diesel is India's most consumed fuel, accounting for almost 40 per cent of all petroleum product consumption. Transport sector accounts for 70 per cent of all diesel sales in the country. Petrol sales by three state-owned fuel retailers rose 7.5 per cent to 2.86 million tonnes on increased personal vehicle movement during the festive season. Fuel consumption has been on a see-saw over the last couple of months. Petrol demand had fallen 9 per cent year-on-year in the first half of October and diesel sales by 3.2 per cent but the sta
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved a scheme for the regulation and licensing of delivery service providers and aggregators offering passenger transport services in the national capital, officials said on Friday. The scheme also paves the way for bike taxis and mandates that the transport aggregators should onboard electric two-wheelers for passenger services. "The file pertaining to the the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme 2023 has been approved. The policy is likely to be notified soon," said an official. This scheme was cleared by the Delhi government on October 18 and its file was submitted to the LG. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said the scheme "marks a significant milestone in Delhi's fight against pollution". The scheme intends to bring the aggregator platforms under the ambit of the government to ensure the safety of the passengers and customers. It mandates commercial vehicle fleets to ensure a phased conversion