Parliament Question: Delhi–Varanasi–Siliguri High-Speed Rail Corridor

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2868 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2026 DELHI–VARANASI–SILIGURI HIGH-SPEED RAIL CORRIDOR 2868. MS SAYANI GHOSH: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has approved the Delhi–Varanasi–Siliguri high- speed rail corridor and if so, the details of the present status of the project including the survey, Detailed Project Report (DPR) and other statutory approvals; (b) the details of the estimated cost of the project, the proposed funding pattern and the timeline for commencement/completion of the corridor; (c) the details of the proposed route, stations and States are likely to be covered under the project along with any proposal to extend the corridor to the North-Eastern States including Assam; (d) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of the economic, tourism, trade and regional connectivity benefits likely to accrue from the project particularly for Bihar, West Bengal and the North-Eastern region and if so, the details thereof; and (e) whether any land acquisition, environmental impact assessment or feasibility study has been completed for the project and if so, the details of the present status thereof? 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 stations planned at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Amdavad and Sabarmati. Page 1 of 4 §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 4The 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 4 Mohar (Shedhi) River been taken up at Mohar River. Track (160m) works in progress at Vatrak River. 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) 16 Kharera River (120m) Bridge construction completed. Track 17 Auranga River (320m) and Electrical works have been taken 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 Bridge Geo-technical Investigation (GTI) has (400m) been completed and Design work has been taken up. Page 3 of 4The 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. However, 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. ***** Page 4 of 4