PM approves northern bullet train corridor to connect Delhi and Varanasi
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the new corridor will significantly reduce travel times across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the northern corridor of the bullet train network, according to reports by The Tribune and Hindustan Times. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the development on Saturday in Varanasi, stating the corridor will connect Delhi with Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Patna, Siliguri and Guwahati.
The proposed high-speed route is expected to reduce the journey between Delhi and Varanasi to approximately three and a half hours. Vaishnaw said the Delhi-Agra trip would take 59 minutes, while the Delhi-Kanpur journey would take one hour and 45 minutes. The travel time between Delhi and Lucknow is expected to be two hours and 12 minutes.
The corridor will also impact travel within Uttar Pradesh and to neighbouring states. Vaishnaw noted that the journey from Kashi to Lucknow would take one hour and 21 minutes, and the trip from Kashi to Patna would take one hour. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said an action plan has been prepared to operate the bullet train between Delhi and Varanasi.
The minister stated the project would be built under the Make in India initiative. Vaishnaw also mentioned that Uttar Pradesh’s railway budget allocation has increased from ₹1,100 crore under previous governments to ₹20,000 crore.
On Saturday, Vaishnaw and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also flagged off the Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat Sleeper train. Vaishnaw said special attention was given to the design of the sleeper train to ensure comfort during overnight journeys.