High-speed corridors announced in Union Budget will slash 3.5-hour travel time between two cities, enhance connectivity to South India
A bustling Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Pic/Ashish Raje
The Union Budget 2026-27 lays the foundation for realising a long-aspired commuter dream — reducing the length of railway journeys between Mumbai and Pune to less than an hour, a source close to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told mid-day. At present, the journey takes approximately three and a half hours.
Backed by the substantial allocation of Rs 2,78,000 crore in the Union Budget, Railways is focusing its spending on high-speed connectivity, freight and safety, with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing new high-speed rail corridors on seven routes, including Mumbai-Pune and subsequently Hyderabad, in around an hour and 55 minutes, to boost connectivity between south and western India. These high-speed corridors will connect Mumbai and Pune, Hyderabad and Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai, Chennai and Bengaluru, Delhi and Varanasi, and Varanasi, and Siliguri, she said.
Commuters at Churchgate station on Sunday. Indian Railways has been allocated Rs 2,78,000 crore in the Union Budget for the financial year 2026-27. PIC/SHADAB KHAN
Calling them growth connectors, she said they will promote environmentally sustainable passenger systems. A source in Vaishnaw’s office told mid-day, “We are looking at reducing the travel time between Mumbai and Pune to about an hour.”
Freight corridor
The minister also announced a dedicated east-west national freight corridor between Dankuni in West Bengal and Surat in Gujarat. The budget also proposed the operationalisation of 22 new national waterways over the next five years to promote multimodal transport and reduce logistics costs for “sustainable cargo transportation”.
Significance of high-speed corridors
According to an official, the new high-speed corridors mean faster rail connectivity not only between two key cities of Maharashtra but also with southern India. “Right now, due to multiple limitations and restrictions of the Ghat sections, the rail traffic to southern India seems limited. The proposed high-speed corridors will offer a much-needed boost, opening up connectivity options," the official said.
Voices
Shailesh Goyal, former member, National Railway Users Consultative Committee
‘The FM’s speech did not address the actual needs of commuters. Spending on a high-speed corridor is not wise. The government’s focus seems to be only on big things like high-speed corridors and bullet train projects, whereas there have been no announcements on passenger safety, new trains, and Mumbai suburban railway’
Rajiv Singal, member, Western Railway Mumbai’s Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee
‘Mumbai is the financial capital of India, and Pune is the industrial capital and an IT hub. The Mumbai-Pune high-speed corridor will boost industry. Pune-Hyderabad will be a high-speed corridor. It means Mumbai and Hyderabad will be better connected’
Siddhesh Desai, Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh
‘I welcome the announcement of approximately Rs 1200 crore in additional funding for the expansion and modernisation of Mumbai’s suburban railway network. This will support important projects. However, unfortunately, commuter safety continues to be neglected. According to official data, 2287 commuters lost their lives in 2025. Although this reflects a seven per cent reduction compared to 2024, the figure remains unacceptably high’.
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