Parliament Question: High-Speed Trains

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3947 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.08.2026 HIGH-SPEED TRAINS 3947. SHRI PUSHPENDRA SAROJ: ADV PRIYA SAROJ: SHRI UTKARSH VERMA MADHUR: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the details of the total route kilometres of dedicated high-speed rail (200 km/h and above) currently operational in India and the present status of sanctioned projects including the Mumbai– Ahmedabad corridor; (b) the details of the length of operational high-speed rail networks in the country and the comparative position (in terms of route kilometres of dedicated high-speed corridors) in comparison with countries such as China and major European nations; (c) the details of the reasons recorded in Ministry reviews for India’s limited progress in developing a nationwide high-speed rail network despite repeated announcements; (d) whether the introduction of semi-high-speed trains such as Vande Bharat on upgraded conventional tracks is being treated as a substitute for dedicated high-speed infrastructure and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the details of the concrete roadmap, financial outlay and timelines proposed to establish a competitive high-speed rail network in India? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (e): Presently, the Mumbai-Amdavad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project (508 km) is under execution. The Project is passing through the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli with 12 Page 1 of 5 §stations planned at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Amdavad and Sabarmati. This corridor is a stand-alone line capable of train operations at 350 kmph. Entire land (1389.5 Ha.) for MAHSR project has been acquired. All Statutory Clearances have been obtained. All 1651 utilities have been shifted. The delay in land acquisition in the State of Maharashtra has impacted the project till 2021. The land acquisition picked up in 2022 in Maharashtra. The progress of various major items so far is as under: Item Progress Piers 452 kms. Girder 356 kms. Track Bed 209 kms. OHE Masts 190 kms. The progress of stations is given below:- S. Station Status No. 1 Sabarmati Foundation & structural works completed. Finishing work have been taken up. 2 Amdavad Structural works completed. Finishing works and track works have been taken up. 3 Anand/Nadiad 4 Vadodara Foundation & structural works completed. Finishing work have been taken up. 5 Bharuch Structural works completed and finishing 6 Surat works have been taken up. At Surat, Bilimora 7 Bilimora and Bharuch Track works have also been taken up. 8 Vapi 9 Boisar Foundation works have been taken up and in advanced stage. Structural works have been 10 Virar taken up. 11 Thane 12 BKC (Mumbai) This is an underground station. Foundation works almost completed and Base Slab has been taken up. Page 2 of 5The progress on the River Bridges is as under:- S. River Name Status No. 1 Sabarmati River (480m) Sub-Structure work completed, Superstructure work has been taken up. 2 Meshwa River (120m) Bridge construction completed. Track 3 Vatrak River (280m) works completed and OHE works have been taken up at Mohar River. Track 4 Mohar (Shedhi) River works in progress at Vatrak River. (160m) 5 Mahi River (720m) Foundation completed. Pier works and Girder launching have been taken up. 6 Vishwamitri River (80m) Bridge construction completed. 7 Dhadhar River (120m) 8 Narmada River (1366m) 21 out of 25 wells completed; 6 out of 24 spans launched 9 Kim River (120m) Bridge construction completed. 10 Tapi River (720m) 09 out of 13 Pier Cap completed. 11 Mindhola River (240m) 12 Purna River (360m) 13 Ambika River (200m) 14 Venganiya River (200m) 15 Kaveri River (120m) Bridge construction completed. Track 16 Kharera River (120m) and Electrical works have been taken 17 Auranga River (320m) up. 18 Par River (320m) 19 Kolak River (160m) 20 Daman Ganga River (360m) 21 Darotha River (80m) 22 Jagani River (360m) Substructure works have been completed. 23 Vaitarna River (2320m) 17 Pile Cap and 15 Pier (out of 58) completed. 24 Ulhas River Branch Temporary Access Bridge (TAB) (120m) completed to start the foundation work. 25 Desai Khadi River Geo-technical Investigation (GTI) has Bridge (400m) been completed and Design work has been taken up. Page 3 of 5The work of the under-sea tunnel (approximately 21 km) has commenced, out of which 4.8 km of tunnel between Ghansoli and Shilphata in Maharashtra has been completed. On the Surat–Vapi section (97 km) entire civil works including river bridge construction, have been completed and 86% of the track bed has been laid. To strengthen national transport infrastructure, provide a fillip to regional connectivity, economic growth, tourism, investment and employment generation, and encourage modal shift from road and air transport to rail, the Government has announced the development of the following seven new High-Speed Rail (HSR) corridors in the Union Budget 2026-27:- (i) Mumbai–Pune (ii) Pune–Hyderabad (iii) Hyderabad–Bengaluru (iv) Hyderabad–Chennai (v) Chennai–Bengaluru (vi) Delhi–Varanasi (vii) Varanasi–Siliguri Post Budget announcement, the cost updation, alignment finalization & land survey etc. have been taken up in Detailed Project Report (DPR). The details of the stations/cities covered, investment, route length etc. can be firmed up only after DPR is finalised. High speed railway projects benefit the connecting cities/states to boost economy, tourism trade through better connectivities. With the development of a national HSR network, Bharat will have its visible presence on the International HSR map like China and European Countries. However, being highly capital intensive, the decision to sanction any HSR Corridor/Project depends on many factors such as outcome of Page 4 of 5DPR, techno economic feasibility studies and availability of resources such as financing options etc. Ahmedabad (Sarkhej) - Dholera Semi High Speed Project: To provide rail connectivity to Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR), a major Greenfield industrial hub, with the national railway network through a semi-high-speed corridor, Ahmedabad (Sarkhej) - Dholera semi high speed double line project (134 km) has recently been sanctioned at a cost of ₹20,667 crore. The project is the first of its kind in India, providing semi- high-speed rail connectivity on Indian Broad Gauge using indigenous technology, with a design speed of 220 km/h. The project involves:  Acquisition of approximately 613 hectares of land.  Construction of 6 mega bridges.  Construction of 70 major bridges.  Construction of 8 station buildings. Further, this project will also provide rail connectivity to the Lothal National Maritime Heritage Complex and Dholera International Airport. It will enhance accessibility, seamless transportation and act as a catalyst for the socio-economic development of the region. ***** Page 5 of 5