Bengaluru-Pune bullet train route may join next phase of high-speed rail expansion: Vaishnaw

Pune could become part of the country's growing high-speed rail network. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has named the proposed Bengaluru-Pune corridor as a possible route to be added in the next phase of bullet train projects. The Centre plans to develop a further 3,000 km of high-speed rail corridors in the coming years, and this route is among the connections under consideration.

Vaishnaw made the remarks after flagging off the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express for the first time. According to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already approved a 4,000-km bullet train corridor. He said the government is moving towards its vision of Viksit Bharat and that more announcements are expected.

The proposed Bengaluru-Pune link will pass through Karnataka. It will connect Bengaluru to Hubballi and go on from there towards Pune. If the project goes ahead, rail connectivity between the major technology and business centres of the two states could be strengthened. However, the route is at the proposal stage only. No construction timeline or detailed alignment has been announced so far.

The Railway Minister also outlined a plan for a separate high-speed rail corridor for South India. It will connect Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Amaravati and Chennai. The aim of the network is to bring the major economic and technology centres of South India closer to one another.

By Vaishnaw's estimate of travel times, a high-speed train could cover the Bengaluru-Chennai distance in 73 minutes. The Bengaluru-Hyderabad journey could take about two hours 10 minutes. He said fast intercity connections could support business activity, improve regional integration and bring wider economic benefits to the southern states.

Vaishnaw also indicated that Bengaluru could soon get another Vande Bharat train, this time towards Karnataka's coastal region. The proposed Bengaluru-Mangaluru service could begin in the coming weeks, once electrification and trial runs on the route are completed.

The new train is expected to make travel easier to coastal cities, especially Mangaluru and Udupi. Rail access could also improve for passengers heading towards Karwar and Goa.