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BENGALURU: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting Budget 2026 announced plans to develop seven high-speed rail corridors across the country. Presenting the Union Budget on Sunday, Sitharaman said the proposed routes would connect key urban centres and act as “growth collectors” for emerging cities.
The full list of proposed routes includes:
- Mumbai–Pune
- Pune–Hyderabad
- Hyderabad–Bengaluru
- Hyderabad–Chennai
- Chennai–Bengaluru
- Delhi–Varanasi
- Varanasi–Siliguri
India currently does not have any operational high-speed or bullet train services. The country’s first such project — the Ahmedabad–Mumbai bullet train corridor — is under construction, with the Gujarat section expected to become operational by 2027.Speaking about infrastructure development over the past decade, the finance minister said the government had focused on large-scale public investment, including the use of new financing mechanisms such as infrastructure investment trusts.She added that the government would continue to prioritise infrastructure growth in tier-two and tier-three cities with populations exceeding five lakh, many of which have emerged as new economic hubs.“This is aimed at promoting environmentally sustainable passenger transport systems,” Sitharaman said while outlining the high-speed rail proposal.
