The Indian government plans to build seven new high-speed lines in India, designed to bring major cities closer together and significantly reduce travel times, while ensuring a high passenger flow.
In the 2026–2027 budget, the authorities have allocated 35.2 billion USD (2.93 trillion rupees) for capital expenditure on railway infrastructure. Indian Railways (IR) will receive the largest budget allocation in its history, namely 33.2 billion USD (2.78 trillion rupees), which will be directed towards the development of high-speed lines in India, freight transport and railway safety.
As part of its long-term plan, the government has described these corridors as “growth connectors” designed to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly passenger transport. Together, the seven high-speed lines will cover nearly 4,000 km and are estimated to attract investments of approximately 192 billion USD (16 trillion rupees), thus strengthening the role of railways as a central element of future mobility.
The seven high-speed lines are:
- Mumbai–Pune;
- Pune–Hyderabad;
- Hyderabad–Bengaluru;
- Hyderabad–Chennai;
- Chennai–Bengaluru;
- Delhi–Varanasi;
- Varanasi–Siliguri.
With the launch of the latest high-speed lines in India, the entire rail transport ecosystem is expected to undergo a major transformation. In southern India, the Chennai–Bengaluru–Hyderabad high-speed network will form the so-called Southern High-Speed Triangle (Diamond), connecting the region’s main economic centers and IT hubs.
Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Chennai–Bengaluru route will take approximately 1 hour and 13 minutes, Bengaluru–Hyderabad around 2 hours, and Chennai–Hyderabad approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes. He emphasized that this network will act as a powerful growth multiplier for the states of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the Puducherry territory, significantly boosting regional development.
In western and central India, the future Mumbai–Pune high-speed line will reduce travel time to around 48 minutes, effectively integrating the two major urban centers. The extension of connectivity from Pune to Hyderabad in approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes, and further links to hubs in the south, will create a continuous backbone of high-speed lines in India, benefiting both passengers and regional economies.
In northern and eastern India, the Delhi–Varanasi corridor will enable travel in approximately 3 hours and 50 minutes, and its continuation through Varanasi–Patna–Siliguri in West Bengal will ensure the route is covered in approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes. This high-speed rail network in India is intended to create a new economic corridor crossing Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal, significantly boosting regional development and economic activity.
A new corridor dedicated to freight transport
In an important step towards improving freight transport and logistics efficiency, the federal budget includes plans for a new Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), which will link Dankuni in West Bengal to Surat in Gujarat, passing through the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The 2,052 km corridor will be connected to the existing Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, thus ensuring an uninterrupted flow of goods to the ports on the west coast.
The Minister of Railways pointed out that the eastern and western DFC corridors are already operating at near capacity, handling an average of 400 freight trains per day, making it necessary to build additional corridors to meet growing demand.
This East-West corridor will help streamline trade between regions, relieve congestion on existing rail networks, and increase freight transport efficiency, thereby supporting industrial development and strengthening supply chains.
Priority for rail safety
The Minister of Railways stressed that rail safety remains the top priority, with the government allocating 14.4 billion USD (1 trillion rupees) exclusively for accident prevention and protection works. Consistent investment over the years has already yielded significant results, reducing railway accidents by nearly 95%.
As a result, the authorities are now stepping up efforts to further enhance safety levels, focusing on the optimal maintenance of tracks, locomotives, carriages, and passenger trains, the rapid implementation of the Kavach automatic train protection (ATP) system, installing CCTV surveillance cameras, modernising overhead electrical networks (OHE), rehabilitating stations and improving passenger services and customer support.
The minister also pointed out that propulsion systems are the most critical component of railway technology, and models designed and manufactured in India are now exported to major countries, including the US, Switzerland, Germany, France, and Spain, demonstrating the competitiveness of the Indian railway industry internationally.
“Record” achievements
The Union Minister also highlighted the exceptional achievements in railway infrastructure development, noting that 35,000 km of new lines have been built, 47,000 km of railway have been electrified, and electrification coverage exceeds 99.5% of the broad gauge network. He also highlighted the unprecedented pace of train production, including Vande Bharat with sleeping cars and seating cars, Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat trains, as well as the introduction of a record number of cars.
Vande Bharat trains are intercity trains manufactured by the national company Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai and are the first semi-express trains designed and built entirely in India. Currently, 164 Vande Bharat trains operate on the main railway corridors, and the sleeper car variant was launched in January 2026. These trains were developed to strengthen intercity rail services, offering increased comfort and shorter travel times.
According to the authorities’ plans, 800 Vande Bharat trains will be introduced by 2030, and by 2047 their number is expected to reach 4,500, thus strengthening interurban mobility and modernizing rail transport in India.
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