The proposed Bengaluru-Pune high-speed rail corridor could be among the next projects considered by the Centre, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said during an event in Bengaluru on Sunday, while announcing that the Bengaluru-Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express would be introduced within the next few weeks.
Vaishnaw said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved 4,000 km of bullet train corridors and that another 3,000 km of high-speed corridors were expected to be announced in the coming years. He indicated that a corridor from Bengaluru towards Hubballi and Pune could be part of this expansion, covering a substantial portion of Karnataka before extending into Maharashtra.
“Another 3,000 kilometres of bullet train corridors will be announced in the coming years, and there will be many more corridors like Bengaluru-Pune, which covers entire Karnataka, from Bengaluru towards Hubballi, all the way to Pune. That corridor will be covered as well,” Vaishnaw said.
The minister was speaking after flagging off the inaugural run of the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express between Bengaluru and Mumbai. His remarks indicate political and administrative support for examining a high-speed connection across southern and western India, but the statement did not provide a project schedule, alignment, cost estimate, land requirement or construction agency for the Bengaluru-Pune corridor.
Vaishnaw also referred to a proposed southern bullet train corridor connecting Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Amaravati and Chennai. He said the project had received the Prime Minister’s approval and was intended to bring major economic and technology centres in southern India closer. According to the travel times cited by the minister, Bengaluru-Chennai would take 73 minutes, while Bengaluru-Hyderabad would take two hours and 10 minutes under the proposed system.
“This will basically combine these large economies, technology capitals, into one large economy. This will be a huge multiplier for the states in South India,” he said. The minister also described Bengaluru and Chennai as becoming closely integrated through the faster connection.
Separately, Vaishnaw said the Bengaluru-Mangaluru Vande Bharat service would begin within the next few weeks. Electrification and testing on the route had been completed, he said, clearing the way for the service’s introduction. The proposed train is expected to improve rail connectivity between Bengaluru and the coastal Karnataka region, including Mangaluru and Udupi, with wider relevance for destinations towards Karwar and Goa.
The announcement comes as Karnataka’s rail infrastructure agenda includes suburban rail for Bengaluru, station redevelopment and new intercity services. The ministers and lawmakers present at the event included Pralhad Joshi, H D Kumaraswamy, V Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje, Tejasvi Surya, P C Mohan and C N Manjunath. The immediate operational milestone is the launch of the Bengaluru-Mangaluru Vande Bharat service in the coming weeks; further details on the proposed high-speed corridors are awaited from the railway authorities.
