Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Sunday that India will develop seven high-speed rail corridors connecting major cities, as part of the Union Budget 2026-27. Speaking in Parliament, she said these corridors will act as “growth connectors,” promoting environmentally sustainable passenger transport.
The proposed corridors will link Mumbai-Pune, Hyderabad-Pune, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Chennai, Chennai-Bengaluru, Delhi-Varanasi, and Varanasi-Siliguri. Currently, work is underway on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed rail project, a 508-km corridor designed for bullet trains operating at 320 kmph. The project, passing through Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, will reduce travel time to just 2 hours and 17 minutes.
Sitharaman also unveiled plans for a dedicated east-west freight corridor connecting Dankuni in the east to Surat in the west. In addition, 22 new national waterways are expected to become operational over the next five years to promote multimodal transport and lower logistics costs.
“These initiatives will strengthen freight movement and support sustainable cargo transportation,” she said.
The Finance Minister emphasized continued infrastructure development in cities with populations over five lakh, or Tier II and Tier III cities, which are emerging as new growth centers. Public capital expenditure for the fiscal year 2026-27 has been set at ₹12.2 lakh crore.
Sitharaman said the Union Budget is guided by three key responsibilities: accelerating and sustaining economic growth, fulfilling aspirations, and ensuring access to resources and opportunities for every family, community, and region. “The ‘Reform Express’ is on its way,” she added.
