In order to promote environmentally sustainable passenger systems, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced high speed rail corridors during Union Budget 2026.
There will be seven high-speed rail corridors connecting major cities in the country, including Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Varanasi and Siliguri.
Sitharaman said the high-speed rail corridors will act as growth connectors. These include Mumbai to Pune, Pune to Hyderabad, Hyderabad to Bengaluru, Hyderabad to Chennai, Chennai to Bengaluru, Delhi to Varanasi, Varanasi to Siliguri.
A new dedicated freight corridor between Dankuni in West Bengal and Surat in Gujarat was also proposed.
The budget was presented after the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved it on Sunday morning. This is Sitharaman's ninth record Budget in the Lok Sabha that comes in the backdrop of global uncertainties and slowdown in exports.
Sitharaman said the government will continue to focus on building infrastructure in cities with populations of more than 5 lakh. These include Tier II and Tier III cities, which will be developed as future growth hubs.