The government has decided to build 7 high-speed rail corridors to connect cities across the country
Budget 2026: The government has announced the construction of 7 high-speed rail corridors: The Modi government presented its second budget of the third term in the Lok Sabha on Sunday. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who presented her ninth consecutive budget, made several key announcements to boost the economy, manufacturing, and exports.
One of the major announcements was the plan to build seven high-speed rail corridors across the country to improve fast and eco-friendly passenger travel. These corridors will connect the following city pairs:
Mumbai–Pune
Pune–Hyderabad
Hyderabad–Bengaluru
Hyderabad–Chennai
Chennai–Bengaluru
Delhi–Varanasi
Varanasi–Siliguri
The Finance Minister said these corridors will act as growth links between major cities and help promote environmentally sustainable transport.
She also announced a new dedicated freight corridor from Dankuni in West Bengal to Surat in Gujarat to support green cargo movement.
In addition, the government will make 20 new waterways operational over the next five years. The work will begin with National Waterway-5 in Odisha, which will connect mineral-rich areas such as Talcher and Angul and industrial hubs like Kalinganagar to the ports of Paradip and Dhamra.
To support inland water transport, a ship repair ecosystem will be developed in Varanasi and Patna.
Speaking on infrastructure development, Sitharaman said the government will continue to focus on improving infrastructure in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities with populations of over five lakh.
