India will build seven high-speed rail lines between important cities, according to a Sunday announcement made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Sitharaman stated that these corridors will act as “growth connectors” to support ecologically friendly passenger networks while presenting the Union Budget 2026–2027 in Parliament. Mumbai and Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai, Chennai and Bengaluru, Delhi and Varanasi, and Varanasi and Siliguri will all be connected by these high-speed corridors, she said.
One high-speed corridor connecting Ahmedabad and Mumbai is currently under construction. The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad project, India’s sole high-speed rail project designed to operate bullet trains at a speed of 320 kmph, will traverse through Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. It will take two hours and seventeen minutes to travel the full distance.
Sitharaman also promised a new east-west freight line that will link Surat in the west with Dankuni in the east during her budget speech. In order to encourage multimodal transportation and lower logistics costs, the top BJP official also suggested operationalizing 22 new national waterways over the course of the following five years. “These initiatives will strengthen freight movement and support sustainable cargo transportation,” Sitharaman said.
According to her, the administration led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi would keep concentrating on building infrastructure in Tier II and Tier III cities, which have grown to become “growth centers” and have a population of more than five lakh. Additionally, she suggested spending Rs 12.2 lakh crore on public capital for the 2026–2027 fiscal year.
Sitharaman said the Union Budget was inspired by three kartavyas, or obligations. By boosting competitiveness, achieving goals, and guaranteeing that every family, community, and area has access to opportunities and resources, these are intended to accelerate and maintain economic progress.
