Guwahati has been included in the proposed north corridor of India’s bullet train network, which is expected to connect major cities from Delhi to the Northeast, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday.
Vaishnaw said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the corridor, which would pass through Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Patna and Siliguri before reaching Guwahati. However, the government has yet to announce the proposed route’s detailed alignment, construction schedule or timeline for the Guwahati stretch.
The minister said the project would be built entirely in India under the Centre’s Make in India initiative. He added that domestic expertise and manpower would be used throughout construction, creating opportunities for young people, middle-income groups and artisans associated with small-scale industries.
According to travel-time estimates shared by Vaishnaw, the proposed network would reduce journey durations significantly. Travel between Delhi and Agra would take 59 minutes, while the Delhi-Kanpur journey would take one hour and 45 minutes. Delhi to Lucknow would take two hours and 12 minutes, and Lucknow to Varanasi one hour and 21 minutes. The Delhi-Varanasi journey would take three hours and 35 minutes.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also highlighted the proposed Delhi-Varanasi connection, saying it would offer a journey of around three-and-a-half hours and provide an alternative to air travel. He also referred to the upgrading of 157 railway stations in Uttar Pradesh.
Vaishnaw announced the launch of 10 Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) services in and around Varanasi to strengthen local connectivity. The services would cover locations including Banaras City, Banaras Cantt and Rajatalab, with an additional service linking Varanasi and Prayagraj. He said commuters, students, small traders and pilgrims would benefit.
The minister also criticised the Congress and the Samajwadi Party over railway funding for Uttar Pradesh during their respective tenures. He said the state’s railway budget had risen from around Rs 1,000 crore under previous governments to Rs 20,000 crore under the current government.
Separately, Vaishnaw referred to the response to the Kolkata-Guwahati Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, claiming that international media outlets and reviewers had acknowledged the train’s quality.
The proposed corridor could improve long-distance connectivity for Guwahati and the wider Northeast, but details of its implementation remain pending.
