MASS TRANSIT AT AIRLINER SPEEDS

THE FIRST PARADIGM SHIFT IN TRANSPORTATION IN OVER 100 YEARS SINCE THE AIRPLANE COULD CONNECT MUMBAI AND PUNE IN THIS DECADE, REVOLUTIONISING TRAVEL ACROSS THE GLOBE

- JAY WALDER, CEO, VIRGIN HYPERLOOP ONE

As the world struggles to emerge from an unprecedented lockdown that shut down most of its transportation, the choices we make about our ability to move may change the world.

Sadly, major innovation is often paired with moments of crisis. In these moments, where we are shaken from the status quo, we must think differently. After decades of working in transportation, I can tell you that the plans we make now about the way we move will dramatically change the face of our planet and our people. We cannot afford to just rebuild, we must evolve.

When I was a kid, I used to ride the New York subway with my father. We would try to get in the first car and I would stand by the window at the front. My father would lift me up so that I could see outside and we would pretend I was driving the train.

Nearly 50 years later, I didn’t just find myself driving the train, but I was running the entire New York transit system. Was this my dream job? You better believe it. This was my hometown.

However, the nature of being the CEO of the New York Subway is that you are limited by a system built decades ago (120 years, in the case of New York). So, incremental improvement is the best you can do. And that shouldn’t surprise us. Most change in life is incremental.