As many as seven high-speed rail corridors between cities, including Varanasi-Siliguri and Pune-Hyderabad, have been proposed by the Centre to be developed as growth connectors, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her Union Budget 2026-27 on Sunday.
She also announced a new dedicated east-west freight corridor connecting Dankuni in the east with Surat in the west.
The senior BJP leader also proposed the operationalisation of 22 new national waterways over the next five years to promote multimodal transport and reduce logistics costs.
“These initiatives will strengthen freight movement and support sustainable cargo transportation,” Sitharaman said.
Sitharaman said the government will keep its focus on building infrastructure in cities that have populations of more than 5 lakh. These include Tier II and Tier III cities, which the government plans to develop as future growth hubs.
While presenting the Union Budget for 2026-27, she also said incentives will be offered for manufacturing seaplanes within the country as part of efforts to promote tourism.
She also announced that a high-level panel on ‘Banking for Viksit Bharat’ will be formed, taking forward a range of steps aimed at strengthening the economy.
Union Budget 2026: High-Speed Rail Corridors
- Mumbai-Pune
- Pune-Hyderabad
- Hyderabad-Bengaluru
- Hyderabad-Chennai
- Chennai-Bengaluru
- Delhi-Varanasi
- Varanasi-Siliguri
