Which are seven high-speed rail corridors proposed in Union Budget 2026-27?

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed developing seven high-speed rail (HSR) corridors between major cities as “growth connectors” to promote environmentally sustainable passenger transport.

Presenting the Union Budget 2026-27 in Parliament, Sitharaman said the proposed corridors would link key economic and urban centres and help create faster, cleaner and more efficient inter-city mobility.

“In order to promote environmentally sustainable passenger systems, we will develop seven High-Speed Rail corridors between cities as growth connectors,” the finance minister said in her Budget speech.

Sitharaman also announced a new dedicated freight corridor from Dankuni in the east to Surat in the west to encourage greener and more efficient cargo movement.

She said the proposed east–west freight corridor would help decongest existing rail networks and reduce logistics costs.

Indian Railways has been allocated an overall outlay of ₹2.65 lakh crore in the Budget, unchanged from the previous year. Of this, ₹2.52 lakh crore has been earmarked for capital expenditure, including investments through public-private partnerships.

In the Budget 2025, Indian Railways received an overall allocation of ₹2.65 lakh crore, the same as the previous year. Of this, ₹2.52 lakh crore was earmarked for capital expenditure, which included investments through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).

The Budget 2025 also proposed launching 200 Vande Bharat trains (sleeper and chair car) along with 100 Amrit Bharat trains (non-AC).

Fifty NAMO Bharat trains were announced for short city routes at 130 kmph, and 17,500 general coaches were declared to meet growing passenger demand.

New projects included track doubling, quadrupling, flyovers, underpasses, workshops, plant machinery and station redevelopment, with a projected life-cycle investment of ₹4.6 lakh crore.

In Budget 2025, allocation for the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India stood at ₹500 crore. The government also continued support for the indigenous ‘bullet train’ project, targeting speeds of 280 kmph in collaboration with BEML, NHSRCL and Japan, with an allocation of ₹19,000 crore.