Closing The Loop
We bring you up to speed on India’s bullet train ambitions, Formula One comeback, and the next battle in food delivery.
Happy weekend! Every Saturday, we try to bring stories from the past week (and beyond) to a logical closure rather than rushing off to the next big thing. If you haven’t read these stories yet, now’s the perfect time to quickly catch up over a cup of chai!
Open for Delivery
India’s food delivery market may soon have a powerful new entrant.
Reports suggest that Walmart-owned Flipkart is preparing to launch its food delivery business within the next few weeks. The company is expected to begin with a pilot in Bengaluru before deciding on a wider rollout.*
Perhaps the most interesting part of Flipkart’s strategy is the technology powering it. Instead of building a closed marketplace from scratch, Flipkart is reportedly planning to leverage the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).*
You may vaguely remember ONDC from a few years ago, when it was pitched as India’s next big digital revolution after UPI. While the ambition was enormous, the reality has been a bit of a letdown.
What exactly is this ONDC? Why didn’t it take off? And how does it plan to reinvent itself? Find out in our story “ONDC 2.0”.
Shinkansen Setbacks
Recently, Hideki Makihara, a former Japanese minister for economy, trade and industry, took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on India’s bullet train project, which relies heavily on Japanese technology and funding. And he did not have nice things to say.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has since dismissed the remarks, saying they reflected an “individual opinion” that stood at “considerable variance with facts”.*
Whether there’s any truth to what the former Japanese minister said, we don’t know. But there’s no denying that India’s first bullet train project, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor, has faced its fair share of roadblocks.
The project was originally expected to open in 2023. Today, it is running roughly four years behind schedule, and its estimated cost has nearly doubled from about ₹1 lakh crore. Some of that increase can be attributed to inflation over time. But much of the delay came from challenges in acquiring land.
That makes this a good time to revisit India’s bullet train ambitions. What makes a bullet train different from the trains we already have? Why is Japan being so generous with us? Why has it taken so long? And perhaps the most obvious question of all: do we really need bullet trains? Find all answers in our story “Need for Speed”.
Vettel Better Late Than Never
From one fast set of wheels, we move to another.
More than a decade after Formula One left India, it may finally be on its way back. Reports suggest the government is working to bring the race back to the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida by 2028.
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To kickstart the effort, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently met key stakeholders, including representatives from the country’s motorsports federation and the prospective new owners of the circuit, the Adani Group.
The first Indian Grand Prix was held in 2011. And almost instantly, India caught F1 fever. BookMyShow sold tickets worth over ₹1 crore within just three hours of sales opening. Millions tuned in on television. The inaugural race drew six times the television ratings of any other Formula One broadcast in India. Drivers loved the circuit too. Sebastian Vetteldominated, and won all three Indian Grands Prix in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
But after just three editions, the event disappeared, even though the contract still had two years remaining!
How did Formula One arrive in India? Why did it leave so quickly? And can it really return? Along the way, we also explored an interesting question that has long divided fans and critics alike: is Formula One truly a sport, or is it mere entertainment? Be sure to check out “Racing Meets Regulation”.
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See you tomorrow with another story about our wild, wonderful world.
Curious? Read or listen to the updates of the week on India’s bullet train ambitions, Formula One comeback, and the next battle in food delivery, on Dot.
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