Last ride: Mumbai’s double-decker buses to Say Sayonara tomorrow
September 15 will be the last day when Mumbai City’s double-decker buses will embark on their last ride, as the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has planned to phase out the five remaining double-decker buses in its fleet. An official statement from BEST states that the body intends to introduce additional electric double-decker buses on tourist routes. The buses will be air-conditioned.
Initially, 10 such buses will run in the Mumbai suburbs, while eight double-deckers will be allocated for South Mumbai. Furthermore, open-deck double-deckers, popular among tourists for leisure rides, will also be gradually withdrawn by October 5, 2023.
Budget allocated for long-awaited India-Bhutan railway link
The India-Bhutan railway link could soon be completed as the Union government has allocated a budget of ₹120 billion for the expansion of railway infrastructure in the Northeast, including complete funding of a 57.5 km railway line connecting Kokrajhar in Assam to Gelephu in Sarpang (Bhutan). It was back in 2005 that the two nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for this shared vision, while the foundation for the railway network was laid five years ago, in 2018, during the first visit of the Bhutanese Prime Minister to India. Bhutan is India’s largest trading partner and shares a 605 km border with India.
Finland becomes first European nation to test digital passports
Finland has bagged the honours of becoming the first country in Europe to test digital passports with the launch of a pilot programme named ‘digital travel credentials’ or, DTCs in short, in Helsinki. Done in collaboration between Finnair, Finavia and the Finnish police, the scheme is only available to Finnish people at present and can be used to take flights to London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Finland is not alone, though, as last year the European Commission approached several European nations for the same. Croatia has volunteered for the same and a similar pilot scheme will be put in place in the nation’s capital this year.
Bengaluru Airport’s Terminal 2 begins international operations
The Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru commenced international flight operations from its newly built Terminal 2 (T2), recently. On Tuesday, a Saudia flight from Jeddah, carrying 212 passengers, landed at the Terminal, while IndiGo became the first domestic airline to operate an international flight, headed to Colombo, from the Terminal the same day. The swanky new Terminal 2, one of the biggest in the world replete with a hanging garden, was built at a cost of ₹13,000 crore and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It can handle an additional 2.5 crore air passengers and will serve as the gateway for two Indian airlines and 25 international airlines. Terminal 1 will cater to domestic flights unlike Terminal 2.