Delhi Metro first railway to earn carbon credits

The Delhi Metro has become the world's first railway network to earn carbon credits from the United Nations program to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the BBC reports.

The public transit system has reduced pollution levels in Delhi by 630,000 tonnes a year, the news channel quoted a UN release as saying.

The savings was calculated based on the 1.8 million people who use the Metro daily, who would otherwise travel by cars, buses or motorcycles.

Under the carbon credit scheme, the Delhi Metro will now get $9.5 million annually for seven years.

And as the number of passengers increase, so will this figure, the news channel said.

Turns out, though, that the Metro is one of the few bright spots in Delhi, as a new study by the World Heath Organization has found it remains one of the worst polluted cities in the world, with 198 micrograms per cubic metre of PM10 (whatever that is), says the Indian Express.

But that's not the train system's only positive effect. Earlier this year, GlobalPost reported on the Metro's remarkable influence on Delhiwallahs themselves — who boost their standards of behavior to match the world-class train system when traveling on it.