Parliament Question: Announcement of high-speed Rail corridor in 2026-27 budget

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2505 ANSWERED ON 13.03.2026 ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL CORRIDOR IN 2026-27 BUDGET 2505 SHRI NEERAJ SHEKHAR: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has announced seven new high-speed rail corridors to connect major economic hubs in the Union Budget 2026-27; (b) if so, the details thereof, corridor-wise; (c) the details of fund allocation for the seven new high speed rail corridors, corridor-wise; and (d) the details of timeframe within which these high speed rail corridors are targeted to be completed? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (d): Presently, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad 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 stations planned at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati. 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: Gujarat: Item Progress Foundation 352 kms. Piers 352 kms. Girder Casting 344 kms. Girder Launching 334 kms. Track Bed Construction 168 kms. OHE Masts Erection 137 kms. §Maharashtra: Item Progress Foundation 84 kms. Piers 77 kms. Girder Casting 12 kms. Girder Launching 5 kms. Out of total 12 stations, foundation works has been completed at 8 stations (Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati). In Maharashtra section, foundation work is in progress at 3 stations (Thane, Virar, Boisar) and excavation work at BKC station is near completion and Casting of base slab started. 17 river bridges have been completed. Work is in advance stage for 4 major river bridges (Narmada, Mahi, Tapti and Sabarmati) in Gujarat & in progress in 4 river bridges in Maharashtra. Work on Depots (Thane, Surat and Sabarmati) is in full swing. Civil works at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) are progressing satisfactorily. Excavation works have achieved about 92% progress, and concreting works are at various stages, with 100% completion of the basement slab at Level-4. The 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. Further, to strengthen the national transport infrastructure and provide a fillip to regional economic growth, the Government has announced the development of 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 Being highly capital intensive, the decision to sanction any HSR Corridor/Project depends on many factors such as outcome of DPR, techno-economic feasibility studies and availability of resources such as financing options etc. ***** §