Vaishnaw: PM clears north bullet train corridor linking Delhi to Guwahati

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the north corridor of India's bullet train project, a route that would stitch together much of the Gangetic plain. He spoke before flagging off the new Vande Bharat Sleeper Express.

As described by Vaishnaw, the corridor would run through Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Patna and Siliguri, and extend to Guwahati. He said construction, "from pillar to girder," would be done in India, calling it a fully Make in India effort built by the country's youth and welders.

The travel times he cited are the headline for commuters and businesses: Delhi to Agra in 59 minutes, Delhi to Kanpur in 1 hour 45 minutes, and Delhi to Lucknow in 2 hours 12 minutes. Lucknow to Varanasi would take 1 hour 21 minutes, and Varanasi to Delhi 3 hours 35 minutes.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said a plan is ready for a Delhi-Varanasi bullet train, which he argued would be simpler, more convenient and cheaper than flying. He also pointed to 157 modernised railway stations in the state.

The event also had a political edge. Vaishnaw contrasted the roughly Rs 1,000 crore rail budget for UP during the earlier SP-state and Congress-Centre period with about Rs 20,000 crore today, and took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav. These are the minister's claims, and the opposition has not responded in the source report.

On everyday transport, he said 10 MEMU services launch in Varanasi, serving stops such as Banaras City, Banaras Cantt, Banaras Station and Rajatalab through the day. A Varanasi-Prayagraj MEMU is also starting, aimed at students, small traders and pilgrims.

Why it matters: faster intercity links could expand job markets, trade and pilgrimage tourism across several of India's most populous regions. Costs, timelines and fares were not given in the report, so those details will be worth watching.

Source: The Pioneer

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