Varanasi-Delhi in 3.5 hours soon, PM Modi approved bullet train corridor: Railway minister Vaishnaw

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the North Corridor of the bullet train project, connecting Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Patna and Siliguri, with the route extending to Guwahati.

The corridor will significantly reduce travel time, with the journey between Delhi and Varanasi expected to take three hours and 35 minutes.

Speaking before flagging off the new Vande Bharat Sleeper Express services between Varanasi and New Delhi, Vaishnaw said, “The prime minister has approved the North Corridor of the bullet train, which will change the lives of many...”

Also Read | Delhi to Kanpur in 1 hour 45 minutes: PM Modi clears north corridor of bullet train project

The proposed travel times include 59 minutes between Delhi and Agra, one hour and 45 minutes to Kanpur, and two hours and 12 minutes to Lucknow. The Lucknow-Varanasi journey is expected to take one hour and 21 minutes.

Vaishnaw emphasised that the project would be built under the Make in India initiative. “The construction is progressing rapidly. It will be fully ‘Make in India’, built by the youth and welders of India.”

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said an action plan had been prepared to operate a bullet train between Delhi and Varanasi which will reduce travel time to three-and-a-half hours.

Vaishnaw also said Uttar Pradesh’s railway budget allocation had increased twentyfold, from ₹1,100 crore under previous governments to ₹20,000 crore.