7k-km bullet train corridor part of Viksit Bharat roadmap: Vaishnaw

Bengaluru: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said that the two bullet train corridors for Bengaluru—Chennai and Bengaluru–Hyderabad, announced in the budget, would connect the three largest economies of south India and create a “high-speed diamond” across the region.

“You can have breakfast at MTR in Bengaluru, lunch at Saravana Bhavan and return to have Mysuru Pak,” said Vaishnaw. 

The Bengaluru–Chennai bullet train will reduce travel time to 73 minutes, while the Bengaluru–Hyderabad corridor will take about two hours.

Vaishnaw said Karnataka is one of only three states to receive two bullet train projects, the others being Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

In UP, bullet train corridors will connect Delhi–Varanasi and Varanasi–Siliguri via Patna, while Maharashtra will get Mumbai–Ahmedabad and Mumbai–Pune–Hyderabad corridors.

Recalling Japan’s Tokyo–Osaka bullet train, Vaishnaw said high-speed rail had effectively merged multiple cities into a single economic geography.

“You can live in one city and work in another,” he said. 

He said the Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor, India’s first bullet train project, involved complex engineering challenges at speeds of 350 kmph, including vibration control, stability and pressure management due to the vacuum created around high-speed trains.

“That project was a major learning curve for our engineers and industry,” he said, adding that India was now ready for the second phase, with seven high-speed rail projects approved.

India plans to build 7,000 km of bullet train corridors as part of the Viksit Bharat roadmap.

Of this, 4,000 km have already been announced. Vaishnaw said the Karnataka BJP had proposed a Pune–Bengaluru bullet train corridor, which will be examined.

On conventional rail infrastructure, Vaishnaw said Karnataka had been allocated Rs 7,748 crore in the current railway budget — nine times higher than the Rs 800 crore allocated during the UPA period.

The total railway investment in the state stands at Rs 52,950 crore, covering track creation, station redevelopment, safety upgrades and Bengaluru suburban rail project.

Under Amrit Bharat station scheme, 61 stations in Karnataka were being redeveloped, with nine already completed, at a cost of Rs 2,110 crore.

Twelve pairs of Vande Bharat trains are currently operating in the state.

Vaishnaw said the Bengaluru–Mangaluru Vande Bharat service will begin soon, with electrification and safety certification of the Hassan–Mangaluru stretch nearing completion.

The coastal Karnataka corridor up to Karwar was fully covered, the Mysuru and Hubballi region were operational, while work on the Kalaburagi stretch would be taken up next, he added.