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Pune-Daund Railway Journey Shortened as Trains Accelerate to 130 km/h Speed : Travel Time To Reduce By 10 Mins

In a move set to expedite travel between Pune and Daund, the railway authorities are gearing up to increase train speed to 130 km per hour, effectively shaving off 10 minutes from the Pune-Daund-Pune journey. This transformative decision was announced by Naresh Lalwani, the General Manager of Central Railway, who has directed the Pune division to facilitate trains operating at this elevated speed on the mentioned route starting from the upcoming Monday. Notably, recent enhancements have been made to the tracks on the Pune-Daund railway line, significantly bolstering their capacity. The meticulous inspection of the route by Manoj Arora, Chief Conservation Commissioner of the Central Division, resulted in insightful recommendations, which were dutifully implemented by the Pune Railway Administration. Subsequently, with the Chief Conservation Commissioner’s approval, the way was paved for the General Manager of Central Railway, Naresh Lalwani, to undertake his own assessment of the route. Following his thorough examination, he granted the green signal for trains to operate at an impressive speed of 130 km per hour. This strategic move not only promises a time-saving advantage for passengers but also underscores the commitment to enhancing rail travel efficiency. The Pune division holds significant importance within the Central Railway network, making this advancement a notable development for the region’s transportation infrastructure. The upcoming change will see select trains adopting the accelerated speed of 130 km per hour on the Pune-Daund railway line commencing from the approaching Monday. As the system adjustments are refined and perfected, it is anticipated that all passenger trains in this section will eventually follow suit, ensuring swift and streamlined travel experiences for commuters. Brijesh Kumar Singh, the Additional Divisional Railway Administrator in Pune, expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming shift, highlighting the collaborative effort that has gone into making this milestone a reality. With these remarkable improvements, the Pune-Daund railway journey is poised to offer a more efficient and time-effective mode of transportation for the public.

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Bhutan halves per day tourist fee to attract global visitors

In a bid to attract international tourists, the beautiful Kingdom of Bhutan has decided to reduce its daily tourist fee of $200 (INR 16,509) to $100 (INR 8254). The kingdom has taken the decision to boost the tourism sector which is still waiting and struggling to recover even after a year after the end of COVID-19. In September 2022, soon after the end of COVID-19 restrictions, Bhutan decided to increase its "Sustainable Development Fee" to $200 per night from $65. The country justified this money by saying that it would go to off-set the carbon generated by visitors. But the newly introduced tourist fee only limited the number of tourists to the country. But now, once again, Bhutan is hoping that the slash in price would increase the number of arrivals. The new tax would come into effect from September and last for four years, the government said in a statement.

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Railways most prominent transport mode, bus travel poised for rapid growth

The findings have highlighted MakeMyTrip Group as the largest online travel agency (O revenue in India for both fiscal years 2022 and 2023, followed by ixigo Group, which inc subsidiaries ConfirmTkt and Abhibus, as the second-largest OTA. EaseMyTrip, Yatra and Cleartrip take third, fourth and fifth spot. The report highlights the importance of cost customer acquisition and customer lifetime value as critical metrics for OTAs, and note the ground category—rail and intercity bus—offers high booking volumes at lower acquisition costs. A recent analysis conducted by VIDEC under the title "India Ground Transportation Market Sizing & OTA Benchmarking Study, FY20-FY26" has unveiled the notable developments within the travel market. The report segments the total market into online and offline channels and estimates OTA GBV using a demand-side, top-down approach for each category. According to the India Ground Transportation Market Sizing & OTA Benchmarking Study, the transformation in the ground category in the last decade or so has been a result of the emphasis on building massive hard infrastructure (tracks, trains, and highways) along with a robust soft infrastructure (digital and technology stack). While investment in technology is one aspect of this turnaround story, the other is the focus on human capital and customer satisfaction. The findings have highlighted MakeMyTrip Group as the largest online travel agency (OTA) by revenue in India for both fiscal years 2022 and 2023 followed by ixigo Group, which includes subsidiaries ConfirmTkt and Abhibus, as the second-largest OTA. EaseMyTrip, Yatra and Cleartrip take third, fourth and fifth spot. The intercity bus market in India is about 85 per cent of the rail category (INR 617 billion) in FY23. However, it’s highly under-penetrated at 19 per cent compared to rail at 82 per cent. MakeMyTrip Group, which owns redBus, has a commanding share of 75 per cent in the OTA intercity bus market in FY23. leader. ixigo Group, though a distant second, is catching up in the intercity bus category through its subsidiary AbhiBus. In rail, B2C channels (OTAs, ecommerce marketplaces and other indirect points of sale) cornered roughly onefourth of the online rail GBV in the same period. ixigo Group, including its subsidiary ConfirmTkt, leads the B2C rail GBV with nearly 50 per cent market share. Ecommerce marketplaces such as Paytm and Amazon, and OTAs such as MakeMyTrip Group and RailYatri cumulatively make up for the rest of the B2C rail GBV. VIDEC's latest research underscored the enduring prominence of Indian Railways as the country's foremost mode of transportation, boasting a substantial market size of nearly INR 617 billion (USD 7.7 billion). The Indian rail market reached its life-time high GBV of INR 617 billion (USD 7.7 billion) in FY23, up 63 per cent from INR 378 billion (USD 5.1 billion) in FY22. It is projected to rise to INR 801 billion (USD 10 billion) by FY26, growing at a CAGR of 9 per cent during FY23-FY26. Notably, the online B2C channel for rail bookings is anticipated to witness a remarkable 23 per cent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), surging from INR 95 billion in fiscal year 2023 to a projected INR 176 billion (USD 2.2 billion) by fiscal year 2026, thereby constituting a noteworthy 26 per cent of the overall rail bookings market. Additionally, the study foresees rapid expansion within the bus travel segment and is going to be the cornerstone of growth in the Indian online travel market. The report notes that while the aggregate online travel market is projected to grow at 18 per cent CAGR in the period from FY23-FY26, the CAGR for online intercity bus market will be 21 per cent. The study further highlights that the overall Gross Booking Value (GBV) for the intercity bus market reached approximately INR 539 billion in fiscal year 2023, with the online intercity bus segment accounting for a GBV of INR 100 billion (USD 1.2 billion) during the same period. This represents a significant growth trajectory, with online adoption in the intercity bus sector climbing to 19 per cent in fiscal year 2023 and projected to further escalate to 26 per cent of the total market by fiscal year 2026. “The ground transportation category offers the two extremes of the Indian online travel market. Rail is the highest penetrated category at 82 per cent, while intercity bus is the most underpenetrated category at 19 per cent in FY23, with a long runway for a sustained growth. The OTA intercity bus market GBV is projected to increase at 21 per cent CAGR in FY23-FY26 to reach ₹153 billion. OTAs are commanding a lion’s share (nearly 90 per cent) of the online intercity bus GBV and they will continue to drive the online adoption and lead the category,” said Virendra Jain, Co-founder and CEO, VIDEC. Co-founders of ixigo, Rajnish Kumar and Aloke Bajpai said that by addressing pain points specific to Tier 2 and Tier 3 users through railcentric use cases and augmenting their strengths in ground transportation via acquisitions like ConfirmTkt and Abhibus, ixigo is not only enhancing its position in the market but also cross-selling and upselling additional services such as flights and hotels to this rapidly expanding segment. The report highlights the importance of cost of customer acquisition and customer lifetime value as critical metrics for OTAs, and notes that the ground category—rail and intercity bus—offers high booking volumes at lower acquisition costs. The report also emphasises the prowess of OTAs in offering a buffet of personalised products in the age of instant gratification and gamification and notes that OTAs have succeeded in attaching fintech products.

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India Online Visa Enhances Travel Experience for Citizens of Australia, Spain, Belgium, Austria, and South Africa

The newly introduced visa application process offers a range of advantages to citizens of Australia, Spain, Belgium, Austria, and South Africa such as effortless application, accelerated processing, enhanced travel convenience, Boosting Tourism and Bilateral Trade, Fostering International Relations and much more. This initiative underscores India’s commitment to facilitating international connections and providing an open, welcoming atmosphere for international visitors. The effort aligns with India’s broader vision of encouraging international collaboration, cultural exchange, and harmonious interactions across borders. With the introduction of the streamlined visa application process, citizens of Australia, Spain, Belgium, Austria, and South Africa can look forward to a more straightforward and efficient process when planning their visits to India. The Republic of India is located in Asia’s southernmost region. It is well-known for its rich local culture and the distinctive features that give it its identity. Because India is Asia’s most popular tourist destination, visitors come from all over the world to learn about the country’s history, traditions, cuisine, and way of life. To encourage tourism, the Indian government has made it easier to apply for an Indian visa from Australia, Spain, Belgian, Austrian, and South African citizens. These citizens may now apply for an Indian visa from the comfort of their own homes, thanks to the advent of eVisa. The Indian Government provides an Indian Tourist Visa to these citizens that are valid for up to 90 days. The tourist visa can be obtained online through the eVisa system. E-Business Visa: It is valid for 365 days and allows multiple entries; each entry cannot exceed 180 days. E-Medical Visa: It is valid for 60 days and allows a total of triple entries. They can think of it like a visa on arrival as they don’t have to go anywhere. Indian Visa Application for Australian Citizens is no longer a lengthy process. The eVisa system allows traveler to apply for a tourist visa online. By using the e-Visa system, they can apply for an Australian Indian Visa online, which means that it is no longer a problem for Australian citizens to apply and wait for visa approval at the embassy. The citizens who are visiting India for recreation / sightseeing / meeting friends / relatives / short term yoga programme / short term courses less than 6 months in duration can now apply for an electronic India Visa for Touristic purposes also known as eTourist Visa with either 1 month (2 entry), 1 year or 5 years of validity (multiple entries into India under 2 duration of visa). Indian Visa from Australia, Spain, Belgian, Austria and South Africa can be applied online on the website and can receive the eVisa to India by Email. The process is extremely simplified for these citizens. The only requirement is to have an Email Id, a Credit / Debit card in 1 of the 133 currencies or Paypal. The electronic Indian Visa (India eVisa) is an official document that permits entry into and travel within India. Indian Visa for Australian citizens, Indian Visa for Spanish citizens, Indian Visa for Belgian citizens, and Indian Visa for Austrian citizens will be sent via email, after they have completed the online application form with the necessary information and once the online credit card payment has been verified. Australian citizens will be sent a secure link to their email address for any documents required for Indian Visa to support their application such as photograph of face or passport bio data page, these can up either uploaded on this website or emailed back to the Customer Support team’s email address. South African travellers who wish to visit India can apply for an Indian eVisa, depending on the purpose of their trip. The type of eVisa required will vary based on the nature of their visit. If the purpose of the trip is for tourism, then the Indian eTourist visa is the appropriate visa to apply for. For those visiting India for business reasons, the Indian eBusiness visa is necessary. Travellers seeking medical treatment in India should apply for the eMedical visa. It is important for South African travellers to carefully review the different types of eVisas available to ensure they apply for the appropriate one for their needs. After submission, the Indian Visa for South African citizens will be processed within four business days. Approved applicants will receive a printed copy of their eTourist visa that they must carry along with their passports to present to Indian Immigration and Border Officials. Officials will verify the information and take fingerprints and a recent traveler photo. Upon approval, an entry stamp will be placed on the traveller’s passport, allowing them to enter the country.

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Analysis: Record plane orders raise the stakes in India's aviation boom

Record plane orders by India's top two carriers show the country's untapped potential for air travel and its rise as an aviation superpower, but recent airline failures and rows over regulations suggest progress may not be smooth. Indian budget airline IndiGo (INGL.NS) announced at the Paris Airshow on Monday the biggest ever plane order by number of aircraft with a deal for 500 Airbus (AIR.PA) narrowbody jets. With a total of almost 1,000 jet orders between them, IndiGo and Air India are betting an economic boom and growing middle class will spur demand for domestic air travel, and new jets will help them grab a bigger share of international traffic. The number of domestic air passengers in India is expected to surge to 350 million by 2030, up from 144 million in 2019, with international air travellers up to 160 million from 64 million in 2019, according to aviation consultancy CAPA India and government data. "It is time to seize the skies," civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday, adding the new planes would help Indian airlines expand at home and across continents. IndiGo, which operates a fleet of 300 planes, is yet to take delivery of some 500 jets from previous orders with Airbus. That makes India a key market for planemakers, especially Airbus which has bagged the bulk of new orders, outdoing U.S. rival Boeing, and engine manufacturers whose wares will be put to test. The recent failure of Go First, the third Indian airline to go under in 11 years, has exposed a gap in local regulations over the protection of rights of foreign leasing firms that finance many large plane deals. Indian budget carrier SpiceJet (SPJT.NS) is also facing the ire of lessors over unpaid dues. Leasing companies warn that restrictions on repossessing their assets in case of defaults will drive up costs for all Indian airlines - even for IndiGo and Air India. "There needs to be a huge regulatory revamp to protect lessors' interests. It will eventually help Indian airlines by lowering risk and moderating lease rental costs," said Joshi. India is a critical market for lessors. Sale-and-leaseback deals - where airlines sell planes to lessors to free up capital and then rent them back - accounted for 75% of plane deliveries in India from 2018 to 2022, compared with a global average of 35%, data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows. This is causing concerns among some leasing companies that fear being too exposed to a market fraught with risks. Some analysts also say that the airlines could be over-ordering jets in pursuit of the same passengers. The bullish outlooks from IndiGo and Air India, which together control about 80% of the domestic market, suggest both are starting to benefit from their scale compared to rivals. Joshi expects annual passenger growth in India to taper to 6%-10% going forward, coming off highs of 20% seen in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. But he thinks the market will stabilise as weaker airlines will fall by the wayside. "India is moving towards becoming a stable market where growth will not be as high but airlines will be profitable and connectivity will be better despite higher fares," he said.

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Remote workers, digital nomads are travelling by day and working by night

Digital nomads logged odd hours from Bali or Goa long before Covid-19 but the abrupt shift to remote work during pandemic made possible an idle fantasy Therese-Heather Belen is living the dream, working remotely full-time while travelling across Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and India but the dream comes with a catch: Her workday starts in the evening and lasts through the night. To stay in the same timezone as coworkers at her New York-based marketing tech firm, about a 12-hour difference, she works and takes meetings into the wee hours of the morning. For some, ambitious “workcation” trips like these are seen as a way to make up for lost time during pandemic lockdowns. For others who choose to wander far from their home timezone, such adventures can veer off course, becoming hellish journeys to the land of sleep deprivation. Belen, who is travelling with Remote Year, a program that functions like a kind of study abroad trip for working adults, said this lifestyle allows her to experience more of the world than would ever have been possible working a traditional 9-to-5. “You hear stories all the time like, ‘I went skydiving before I started my workday,’” she said. Remote workers and so-called digital nomads have logged odd hours from hotspots like Bali and Goa long before Covid-19 but the abrupt shift to remote work during the pandemic pulled what was long an idle fantasy for many into the realm of the possible. Almost 17 million US employees describe themselves as digital nomads, more than double the pre-pandemic number, according to MBO Partners, a firm that connects companies with freelance talent. The trend of longer work-leisure trips has accelerated as pent-up demand for international travel has boomed after years of restrictions. That’s giving some digital nomads a bad reputation for driving up prices and trampling local culture in popular vacation destinations, but it hasn’t slowed them down. Dozens of countries are marketing a new class of visas to these professionals to compete for tourism dollars. And despite many highly publicized return-to-office announcements in recent months, some degree of remote work remains a fixture at most companies. Many remote workers who have decamped to far-flung locales will, like Belen, work a split shift, logging on for a few hours in the evening through midnight, before taking a few hours to sleep and then waking up to log back on for another round. And it works, to a certain extent. Her mom was a labor and delivery night shift nurse, so the idea of sleeping during daylight hours didn’t strike her as outlandish. She’s usually online with coworkers until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. and then sleeps in until 10 a.m. or so before waking and catching up on emails. But because her job revolves around meetings, she’s sometimes on call at all hours. “Tonight I do have a 3:30 to 4 a.m. meeting that I have to be on,” she said. “So I have many, many alarms that are set for the most random hours for me to jump on that meeting and then just fall back to sleep after.” Some, like Belen’s partner, a software engineer, have an easier time with timezone differences. That’s because their jobs are less meeting-heavy and more open to asynchronous work, so they have more flexibility to get things done on their own schedule. Tue Le, chief executive officer of Remote Year, estimates that somewhere around 15% of program participants traveling in Asia keep strict US hours by staying up overnight. Roughly another third work flexible hours with a mix of evenings or early mornings to collaborate with coworkers back home. The graveyard shift can work for those wired to stay alert deep into the night, said Ilene Rosen, a sleep medicine professor at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. But for many others such schedules go against ingrained circadian rhythms, making it challenging or impossible to get enough sleep. As anyone who has had to get up early and go to work after a terrible night’s sleep can attest, it can drain energy, zap concentration and undermine emotional regulation. The bottom line: Consistently pulling all-nighters is generally not a good idea for optimal health, let alone top work performance. “The science as we have come to understand it over the last 20 years indicates that while it may be exciting, and that it may be even doable for some short period of time, it isn't great for our bodies,” Rosen said. Studies have found longer stretches of night-shift work have been associated with more serious health consequences, like heart disease and cancer. Still, some travelers are determined. Jessica Hilbrich, who works remotely for a data and IT consulting firm based in Indianapolis, committed to working a full eight hours through the night, without naps, when she went to Southeast Asia this past spring. That meant logging on at 8 p.m. and signing off around 4 a.m. There were often a few other people in the co-working space when Hilbrich began her workday in the evening, but the place was usually empty by midnight. It’s important to her that her performance doesn’t waver — whether she’s working fully remotely from her home outside of Chicago or from a co-working space halfway across the world. One strategy Hilbrich developed is front-loading the tasks she finds the most cognitively demanding, like deep thinking and writing, earlier in the night when she’s sharpest. Once her workday is over, she winds down to get some sleep and then takes lots of naps as needed. “Don’t let people nap-shame you,” she said. For Hilbrich, this kind of travel comes with a different mindset. It’s not a “vacation,” which to her is about relaxation above all. It’s more about forming a genuine connection with a place and the people who live there. “I can’t afford to quit working, and this way I can experience more places while I’m younger, before I retire.” Even with such best practices, the night shift can be punishing — and isn’t for everyone. After two months, Belen’s sleep schedule has been completely thrown off. “I would say I’m struggling — everyone I know is struggling to some extent.” Some people she’s met while traveling have had to quit their jobs. Others have had to cut back their hours. One person she knows was fired. Often, she said, the inescapable truth is that some people simply are less available — whether they want to be or not. While some digital nomads make it work, others who can’t hack it end up throwing in the towel and going home. “I’ve met a lot of people who say I would never do that, and won’t even try,” said Carolina Zuniga, who works remotely in marketing and is heading back to Bali for the third time from her home in Costa Rica. She’s met others that start out very enthusiastic, but swiftly run into problems. Their trip turns into a bust, too exhausted to go out and do or see anything. Jordan Carroll, a career coach, calls it the “hell shift.” Years ago he gave it a go while traveling through Thailand and Indonesia, heading out at midnight to catch a ride on a motorcycle to a 24-hour co-working space. Some nights he tried splitting the shift into two. Other nights he tried powering straight through. Neither worked. “For me, it was so jarring,” he said. “Your internal clock would be so messed up. I couldn't really function. Even if I went to socialize with friends I was always tired. I wasn’t able to really be myself.” All of these concerns are top of mind for Zuniga. She’s just turned 30 and said sleep deprivation takes more of a toll now than it did when she was traveling in her early 20s. “I’m more concerned this time, but I’m curious to see how it goes,” she said. For those still determined to give it a shot, University of Pennsylvania’s Rosen advises keeping as much consistency as possible, even on weekends. Compensate with naps as needed and keep your room as dark as you can when you sleep during daylight hours. She gives the same advice to incoming medical residents as they prepare for their first overnight shifts. That includes avoiding light at dawn at all costs — wear dark sunglasses, even if it’s overcast. Melatonin can be useful to regulate sleep, but timing doses can be tricky if daily sleep schedules vary. Belen can relate. She knows all the tips and tricks. Even so, she ended up coming down with a nasty cold before a long-planned motorbike trip. After a week of worrying whether it would prevent her from making the trip, her home remedies kicked in and she was able to recover enough to go. It was hard, but worth it, she said. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

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