Delhi-Varanasi Bullet Train Project: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the proposed Varanasi bullet train corridor could reduce travel time between Delhi and Lucknow. (Image generated using AI)
Delhi-Varanasi Bullet Train Project: The Delhi-Varanasi bullet train project will pass through Lucknow, significantly reducing travel time between two cities. This high-speed rail project was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2026-27. Presently, the construction on the country’s first high-speed rail corridor i.e. Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train network is in full swing.
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Delhi-Lucknow bullet train project
The Delhi-Lucknow bullet train project will reduce travel time between the two cities to just 2 hours. Currently, the fastest trains on the route are the Vande Bharat Express and the Shatabdi Express, which take around 6 hours 25 minutes and 6 hours 50 minutes, respectively, to complete the journey.
Addressing the CII Annual Business Summit 2026, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that travel time between Delhi and Varanasi will be reduced to 3 hours and 50 minutes. He added that the journey between Delhi and Lucknow will take just around 2 hours. Vaishnaw further said that the Varanasi-Patna and Varanasi-Lucknow regions will become a single economic zone due to the high-speed rail corridor.
Bullet trains to dominate flights in new corridors: Railway Minister
Vaishnaw further said that in many of the upcoming bullet train corridors, the travel time will be reduced and people will prefer trains over airlines on those routes. He said that the government is working on new corridors from Mumbai to Pune where travel time will come down to just 28 minutes, Pune to Hyderabad will be one hour and 55 minutes, Hyderabad to Bengaluru will be around 2 hours.
“So nobody will fly. These sectors will be out for airlines. I’m reminding right away for those who want to invest in airlines. These sectors will be 99 per cent dominated by railways,” he said.
Detailed Project Report (DPR) for 7 high speed rail corridors in budget 2026
In February, the responsibility for the swift implementation of these seven HSR projects has been entrusted to the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL). The Railway Board has directed NHSRCL to revise the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) that have already been prepared.
7 High Speed Rail Corridors in Budget 2026: What Parliamentary panel said on land acquisition
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“The Committee appreciate the forward-looking vision of Indian Railways in announcing new High-Speed Rail corridors in the Budget 2026–27. For future corridors, the Committee emphasise that land acquisition and other statutory clearances should be completed prior to the sanctioning of projects, so as to ensure time-bound implementation and safeguard financial viability,” it said.
