Railway officials have said preliminary work is under way to select the route for a proposed bullet train project connecting Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.
The project is part of the Union Budget announcement that earmarked Rs 2.93 lakh crore for the Railways, with bullet train corridors planned across seven routes to improve connectivity between major cities and support economic growth.
In the Southern Railway zone, bullet train services are proposed for Chennai–Bengaluru and Chennai–Hyderabad (Telangana). Officials noted that the three cities are nationally significant hubs for the information technology sector, and the project is being planned to support the next phase of development.
A detailed project report (DPR) is to be prepared. As part of the initial planning, the tentative alignment being considered is Bengaluru–Kolar–Chittoor–Parandur–Poonamallee–Chennai, and from Chennai to Hyderabad via Renigunta–Nellore–Guntur–Amaravati.
If implemented, the bullet train is expected to cut travel time to about 1 hour 13 minutes between Chennai and Bengaluru, and around 2 hours 55 minutes between Chennai and Hyderabad, officials said.
