Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday announced that a bullet train project linking Chennai and Bengaluru is expected to begin soon, with a proposed travel time of just 73 minutes.
Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony for what was described as India’s largest AI data centre in Visakhapatnam, the minister outlined the Centre’s plans for high-speed rail in South India.
Vaishnaw said bullet train services would sharply reduce travel time and help create an integrated economic zone by connecting major cities such as Amaravati, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai.
He listed indicative travel times under the proposed network: Amaravati–Hyderabad in 70 minutes, Amaravati–Chennai in 112 minutes, Hyderabad–Pune in 1 hour 55 minutes, Pune–Mumbai in 48 minutes, Chennai–Bengaluru in 73 minutes, and Hyderabad–Bengaluru in 2 hours 8 minutes.
The minister also said the long-awaited South Coast Railway zone would be announced on June 1, and that the existing double line between Kolkata and Chennai would be upgraded to four lines.
