Metro

Shenzhen metro is transforming into an autonomous logistics network. The key is a legion of AI robovans

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During the day, Shenzhen’s stations look, in some ways, like those of any big city: full of movement, loudspeakers and announcements marking the passage of trains. But when traffic eases, something changes. In the same space where a few hours ago there were crowds, autonomous vehicles and small robots appear that move with precision, transporting packages from one point to another. There is no spectacle or artifice, just a different use of a familiar environment. The metro network, designed for travelers, is also beginning to serve urban logistics at a time when every minute and every square meter counts. The idea of ​​taking advantage of the subway to move goods does not arise on a whim. In Shenzhen, as in many large Chinese cities, surface traffic has become in an obstacle for daily logistics. Delivery companies deal with extreme urban density and the constant growth of e-commerce, which forces them to deliver faster and with increasingly tight margins. Using trains outside of peak hours allows us to alleviate this pressure and reduce costs, while at the same time making use of infrastructure that usually remains underused for much of the day. When travelers leave, robots stay According to the Xinhua agencyone of the officially documented pilots takes place on line 11 of the Shenzhen metro. Every night in Futian District, SF Express staff sort and pack packages, which are then loaded into metal cages. These cages are transported by means of a autonomous shuttle vehicle to the platform, where they are destined for the sixth coach of the train, enabled as a logistics car during off-peak hours. In less than thirty minutes, the goods cross the most congested stretch of the city and arrive at the Bihaiwan area, near the airport, where they continue their journey to the distribution center. The aforementioned operation is supported by a fleet of robovans. Nikkei Asia explains that These are small vehicles capable of moving autonomously along predetermined routes, where they transfer packages from a storage center to the subway loading area. Each one can transport up to 500 kilos and has a useful space of about 3 cubic meters. Another official test takes place on subway line 2, at Wanxia station, where delivery robots are able to board the train by themselves to deliver goods to stores 7-Eleven inside the station. The system, described by Guangdong Department of Transportationcombines autonomous route planning, laser sensors and a control system that allows it to move safely between passengers. The project, promoted by Shenzhen Metro Group, Vanke and Wanwei Logistics, remains in the testing phase and seeks to verify whether it can be applied on a larger scale in the city’s underground commercial network. The Chinese industrial ecosystem is one of the reasons why these types of projects are advancing so quickly. The aforementioned newspaper highlights that strong competition between national manufacturers has made key components such as LiDAR sensors cheaper and has driven the development of more efficient batteries and specific chips for autonomous driving. On this basis, production costs are significantly reduced. A robovan is already between 20 and 30% cheaper than a traditional commercial vehicle, and the difference increases by eliminating cabin space and the cost of the driver. The development of these initiatives is not without difficulties. Autonomous vehicles still depend on human supervision at various stagesespecially in the loading and unloading of goods. Its speed inside the stations is reduced to guarantee the safety of passengers, and that limits the operational pace. For now, operations remain limited and are far from mass application. Even so, they reflect a clear trend: the attempt to optimize each section of urban space, even the underground. Shenzhen functions as a laboratory for a model that seeks efficiency without altering the rhythm of the city. Ultimately, these tests speak less about technology than about management: about how a metro network can serve two different purposes while remaining, above all, a public service. Images | Guangdong Department of Transportation (1, 2, 34, 5) | Shenzhen Government (1) In Xataka | Many Spanish ports have become luxury resorts for the rich: owning a pleasure boat is increasingly difficult

The Spanish rail giant escapes millionaire contracts, including the Barcelona Metro. The reason: his link with Israel

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Basque Caf’s rail manufacturer is in a committed situation after Its inclusion in the United Nations list which points to companies with operations in Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. This circumstance could close the doors of important public contracts, such as The Millionaire Barcelona Metro Contest. In the blacklist. Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) has a tender open to acquire 39 new trains worth 321 million euros. The specifications includes a clause that prohibits the participation of companies that appear in the Registry of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR). CAF, current TMB provider, now appears in that list for its participation in The tram of Jerusalem thisa project awarded in 2019 with the Israeli construction company Shapir. The CAF position. The company based in Beasain defends the legality of your contract and denies any violation of human rights. As communicated to the National Securities Market Commission, it has reports from independent experts that support its position and ensures that the project “generates positive impacts on the population” by also providing service to the Arab community with a “inclusive and non -discriminatory” hiring policy. The Alstom turn. The French multinational Alstom, which has a factory in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, appealed in August before the Catalan Court of Public Sector Contracts against this restrictive clause. However, the recent update of the UN list has retired to Alstom from the registrationwhich now allows you to present to the contest. This exit makes CAF the main affected, since the resolution of the resource will determine whether or not to participate in the tender, whose term remains open until December. More Spanish companies indicated. CAF It is not the only company Spanish in the Black List of the UN, which includes about 160 signatures. Florentino Pérez’s construction company, its SEMI subsidiary and the Ineco public company, under the Ministry of Transportation, also include. CAF is charged with equipment and materials that “facilitate” Israeli settlements, in addition to providing support services and using natural resources, which makes it the Spanish with the greatest reproach by the international organism. A political and social debate. Inclusion in this list does not imply direct sanctions, but yes it has practical consequences. The United Nations urges States to adopt “appropriate measures” to prevent human rights abuse, and administrations such as the Barcelona City Council have incorporated this exclusion in their responsible hiring policies. The debate has also reached the Basque political terrain, where part of the CAF staff starred in concentrations demanding the cessation of the contract with Israel, while the lehendakari Imanol Pradales He has asked that you have “care with the accusations” and has urged the company to make “an ethical reflection”. Implications. Beyond the Barcelona contest, appearing in this registry can affect the reputation of companies, rating rating agencies and access to other public tenders if similar clauses appear in the tender. Public hiring represented 11.55% of Spanish GDP in 2023which turns these vetoes into a relevant economic issue for the companies indicated. Cover image | TMB In Xataka | The longest bus in the world is called Daf Super Citytrain: more than 30 meters long and capacity for 350 people

Of all that Madrid’s Metro could copy of Tokyo, he has opted for the craziest: “Embujadores”

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The Madrid Metro congested, it is crowded and there is no more soul. It is what is lived every morning and the images have been getting worse over the years. With half a city raised by the works, the situation has been complicated (even) more in the Madrid suburban. Solution: “Pushers”. 120 people. That is the number of traigators that Metro de Madrid has deployed to manage and redirect the volume of passengers that tries to find a hole in the wagons of the Madrid lines, they explain in eldiario.es. The goal is to alert travelers that they are trying to clench in a vehicle when the same train still has a free gap to cover. Obviously, passengers have not taken to describe these employees as “pushers”, referring to Japanese personnel who in the Tokyo subway constraint passengers with strength of the wagons during the wagons during the peak hours. Oshiyas. EITHER “EMPJORADORES”in Spanish. Men, suit and white gloves. And less common than we think. It is a simple, effective, not very orthodox but key job for a suburban that moves some 8.3 million passengers daily. The Oshiyas They are responsible for pushing travelers in the subway. They do it without contemplations, compressing passengers to the last loophole before closing the doors. They take care, in fact, that a briefcase does not hinder the maneuver or closing the doors themselves. Yes indeed, Not all stations They have their pushers. His work is concentrated early in the morning and, to attend the “show”, you have to move to one of the main stations of the city such as Ueno, Shinjuku or Okachimachi. Managing. The “pushers” of the Madrid Metro are very different. Because they change the suit, the hat and the white gloves for a yellow vest with the company of the company. But above all because they don’t really push. Or not, at least, as is done in the subway stations of the Japanese city. In this case, these workers push passengers to move to an area of ​​the subway carrier a little more busy. Do not squeeze people by force but passengers do do their best to occupy until the last loophole. These “pushers” are something like “space managers.” Click on the image to go to the original tweet Click on the image to go to the original tweet It is not the first time. As they point out in the digital medium, it is not the first time that these workers appear in the Madrid suburban. The company provides for the use of this type of personnel in exceptional circumstances such as football or large concerts, but only in the stations close to the enclosure. Already in 2017 the term “pushers” became common in the conversations of those who took public transport early in the morning. So The world He explained that the workers could “play in the back to help (passengers) to get on the car.” On that occasion they were on Line 4 due to the works on Line 8 and the workers were also known as “plates.” A gymnkana. Madrid has become in recent months a Cumulus of works and conditions that, obviously, have had their impact on the volume of suburban travelers. At the moment, the capital has works that affect shot traffic in the northern part of La Castellana, in the M-30 as it passes through sales and at the entrance of the A-5. This last work directly affects the buses that come from Móstoles, Alcorcón and other nearby towns, leaving passengers at the four -wind station where They are distributed between nearby and the subway. But, in addition, the partial closure of Metro Line 6, one of the busiest in the city since it is part of a wide ring that surrounds the entire center of it is added. In total, there are 120 people that Metro has deployed for this task. “They are technicians or line bosses, among whose functions this is,” they point out from the company to eldiario.es. Reinforcement? Obviously, seeing the images, The reinforcements in the Madrid Metro They have focused the political and social debate. What we know is that line 5 and 10 saw their frequency increased by 9% on the occasion of the works of the A-5 (adding to the nearby reinforcements and the special bus services). Subsequently, new reinforcements were secured in both lines (of 14% and 11%, respectively) with the closure of line 6. In line 1, the reinforcement is 14%, on line 3 of 13%and in line 2 of 6%. Likewise, in lines 4, 8 and 12 they have also added more trains to the usual frequencies. The doubt, therefore, is whether they are enough. The images of travelers in the middle of peak is more firewood for the political debate in a city that tries to live with the works daily. Photo | Erell Ceridwen and Raúl Hernández González In Xataka | There is a competition to tour the 274 Madrid Metro stations in the shortest possible time. And new record is already sought

In the full boom of foreign tourism, Metro de Madrid has had an idea to make its brand profitable: luxury merchandising

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No matter where you go or who you ask. There are certain icons that everyone recognizes worldwide. They are part of a border -proof visual heritage. A clear example are The Olympic ringsthe symbol of peace or the dollarthe arroba or the Celebrate Smilethe smiling yellow face designed decades for Harvey Ball. If we probably did a survey most people would include in that list of universal symbols The subway logo from London. Madrid It seems determined The same thing happens with your suburban. What happened? What Metro de Madrid has surprised with A peculiar proposal. One that has little to do with trains, infrastructure and schedules. Or yes. The institution has just presented an official clock, a submersible Berbier piece, stainless steel and sapphire crystal ‘inspired’ in the capital’s suburban. The images that they have already been seen show the red, blue and white logo of Madrid in the sphere and how the marks of the hours are decorated with The colors of the different lines. One, light blue; two, red; three, yellow; four, brown … in another historical wink at the bottom of the sphere appears The figure “1919”the year in which the First Line Four Caminos-Sol was inaugurated. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Is more known? Yes. Sunday The world slid Some details of the launch. The idea is to create only 50 numbered units that will be sold for 395 euros. Too much money? No problem. In case the Limited Editing Berbier clock is exhausted or the client wants to pay less, Metro plans to market another, cheaper model, which will incorporate a similar sphere with interchangeable silicone straps in four colors. The price in that case will be 120 euros. However, there is much more interesting fact. Not by what he tells us about the clock itself, but of the Metro plans. According to Precise The worldthe new accessory can be bought unocidly in the store that the operator plans to release at the opera station. It will be The third (There is already one at the Sunstation and another in the Plaza de Castilla) and the idea is that not much to open its doors. In January He pointed to the second half of 2025 already early summer It was specified that the space is probably available in the last quarter of the year, which will allow you to take advantage (at least partly) the Christmas campaign. Metro stores? That’s how it is. In itself, stores are not a novelty. As Remember Europa Pressthe history of the Metro store can be traced at least 1984, when it opened its sun sales space. Several decades later, at the end of 2017, added the place of Plaza de Castilla. Today its catalog of items can be consulted (and buy) also in latientademetromadrid.com. In addition to selling merchandising Officer and pieces such as the new Berbier watch, the opera space will serve travelers as office Customer service. But … What do they sell? They don’t sell, better. His articles list It is amazing broad: bolis, bags and backpacks, cushions, sweatshirts, fans, bottles, socks, notebooks, toys, cups and even lames with stations posters such as Santiago Bernabéu or metropolitan state. All related in one way or another to the Madrid suburban. Most show the famous blue, red and white logo or incorporate the colors of the different lines. In the wide metro catalog there is also Bestsellers They have stood out for their commercial success. For example, Some shoes Sports designed in collaboration with Titocustoms to celebrate the company’s 105 years. They launched as a limited series, but given their “great reception” Metro decided to create a new edition. In total more than 1,000 pairs have been sold. Another product with pull is The Christmas sweater. It was released in 2023 and they have already been dispatch More than 3,000 units. Are there more figures? Yes. Not many more, but there is some that helps us understand the scope of the commercial stores of Metro de Madrid and especially its evolution. At the beginning of the year, when the plans to open the opera store were announced, the Europa Press agency wakefulness That in 2023 the volume of sales before taxes reached 127,470 euros, a record that exceeds the box of the previous year, which had been 81,619. That is, the billing shot more than 56% in a year. Most sales were channeled through physical stores (75%), highlighting above all sun, with almost 65,400 euros. Why do you do it? To understand Metro’s commitment you have to know your data, but also (and even more) the context. His decision to open a new opera store coincides with two clear trends. The first is the increase in travelers. In January the company estimated that in 2024 it had reached its “historical user record”, with 715.2 million trips8% more than in 2023. The data of fact improves those registered by the company in the years before the pandemic. The other trend is the increase in tourism. Especially that of foreign origin. Spain is close to passing the historical barrier of the 100 million of international visitors and there are those who believe that in not much time, By 2040will be the great tourist referent of the planet, surpassing France or the US. Much of that flow is directed to destinations of the Mediterranean coast, the Canary Islands or Northern regions, such as Cantabria either Galiciabut Madrid also plays a key role in the national tourist fabric. In 2024 Madrid received More than 11 million of visitors. It is estimated that the international market meant 56% and generated more than 16,000 million euros, 21% more than in 2023, with a key weight of the US, Italy and France, although the Chinese are the ones who have grown the most, 74%. And what is Metro? Everything indicates that taking advantage of that pull of visitors and users. After all, the new store will not open in any place. … Read more

The works sandwich on roads and Metro converts mobility into a puzzle

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Mire where you look, there are works. It doesn’t matter when you read this if you live in Madrid. It doesn’t matter whether or not you are retired. If something must be seen in Madrid are works. Because the city has entered a reformist spiral that touches all sticks. And if public transport should be the alternative to the private car … Guess. Yes, it is also in works. A summer of the least placid. It is not Madrid the best city to visit in summer. Cars, asphalt and high buildings are the perfect combination for turn the city into an oven. Much more if we consider that they shine Hard squares through the city center, which is about Give emergency solutionseither The parks are closed. But those of us who live in Madrid found a good part in spending the months of July and August in the city: it was calm. The usual river of people becomes a stream, some leisure can be done when heat stops squeezing and, above all, one comes to work at a time because the traffic jams did not exist. Today, that is a thing of the past. Mire where you look. Right now, it doesn’t matter if you use the private car as public transport: Madrid is collapsed. Every morning the traffic bulletin gives the usual notices on the radio. But to the usual traffic jams are added notices that have become repeat offenders. The city had not been seen in an equal. In The country They remember an anecdote that dated in 2001. Then Danny de Vito, who was promoting a film in the city, ironized ensuring that he loved Madrid but that “he will win a lot the day they find the treasure.” Impossible by car. If you travel by car you have to be careful with the entrance to the A-5, The great underground of one of the main arteries of entry to the city that, in addition, is causing problems with neighbors. Whoever access here inside the city will verify how the usual four lanes in the direction have become two lanes with a winding layout to save the cranes. Right now, you can no longer access the M-30 tunnel but those who get there await more works in sales, where you want cover the M-30 to generate a huge green space that connects the linear city neighborhood with that of Salamanca. Neither in the northern zone are freed from the works. In the current four towers A huge park has been projected Under which the connection between Sinesio Delgado with the northern knot (where they connect the M-30 and M-40) has been projected. Again, the intention is that in the upper area you can enjoy a huge green zone hiding cars in a tunnel. Public transport. Taking into account that circulating in Madrid with a private vehicle now resembles a Mario Kart race (Asphalt operation included)public transport should be the solution. But those who have chosen to leave the car at home and use interurban entry buses to Madrid for the A-5 have long known that it is not a simple task. The residents of Alcorcón have asked that camp military land can be used as a deterrent parking. Thus, drivers can connect with subway and vicinity. The problem is that In the Metro they will find a partially closed line 6affecting about 400,000 travelers. To line 6 are added from next week the Metro line 7 workswith the park stations of the avenues, Cartagena and Alonso Canoperativa. Who will expect to find refuge in vicinity, there are also bad news. Because right now there is Cortes in the C-5 Between Villaverde Alto and Ambassadors and until August The suns tunnel will be closedleaving unused the station station (nearby) and cutting the passage between Chamartín and Atocha of lines C-3 and C-4. Exchangers. Did you think we had finished? Well, to all these inconveniences we must add great exchangers that are under works. In Chamartín, remodeling is still underway And right now you have to arm yourself with patience and go with time if you want to take a bird. The Count of Casal exchangerthat has added traffic cuts in the entrance tunnel by the A-3 and that will serve as a key node in the Metro line 11 union with line 12the circular section that serves all urban nuclei in southern Madrid. And frozen projects. To all of the above you have to add the remodeling works of Metro line 7bthe connection between the Metropolitan Stadium and the Henares Hospital whose works were subject to a great controversy because they have caused irreversible damage to the homes of some neighbors. Click on the image to go to the original tweet Click on the image to go to the original tweet Click on the image to go to the original tweet Click on the image to go to the original tweet Constant anger. This entire barulo of works that has implications in filming traffic, in the subway and in vicinity is causing a fed up among the residents of the city that can be easy to trace on social networks. The chaos was complete yesterday July 21. A drop in yesterday systems in the subway caused Line 10 delays. To this was added a breakdown in a catenary between the stations of Laguna and Ambassadors, causing a funnel of travelers in that southwest. To close the circle, also the Bicimad public bicycle services was fallen and faults were recorded in the North Light Metro Line (ML1). Throughout the summer, social networks are broadcasting live the chaos that are lived in the Metro and in Surroundings where the stations are full and travelers have to miss trains because they are crowded. Photo | Madrid City Council and Community Transport of Madrid In Xataka | Guide not to be lost in Madrid with the megaobra and underground of the A-5: deadlines, traffic cuts and public transportation

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