GUWAHATI: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that the proposed Bullet Train Northern Corridor will be extended to Guwahati, bringing Assam within India's planned high-speed rail network.
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The announcement comes after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma requested the Centre to extend the proposed corridor beyond Siliguri in West Bengal to Guwahati. The original plan was to connect Delhi with Siliguri through major cities across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Vaishnaw had announced on Saturday, October 31 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the Northern Bullet Train Corridor. The proposed route will connect Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Patna and Siliguri before extending to Guwahati.
According to Vaishnaw, the high-speed rail network is expected to significantly reduce travel time between major cities. The journey from Delhi to Kanpur is expected to take 1 hour and 45 minutes, while Delhi to Agra will take approximately 59 minutes. Travel from Delhi to Lucknow is expected to take 2 hours and 12 minutes.
Similarly, the Lucknow–Varanasi journey is projected to take 1 hour and 21 minutes, while Varanasi to Delhi will take around 3 hours and 35 minutes.
Announcing the development on social media, Sarma said the extension could make the Guwahati-Delhi journey possible in under eight hours.
The proposed extension to Guwahati is particularly significant for the Northeast, as it would take the planned high-speed rail connectivity beyond Siliguri, a key transit point for the region. It could potentially improve connectivity between Assam and major economic and urban centres across northern India.
Vaishnaw also said that ticket fares would be economical and significantly lower than airfares. According to the Railway Minister, the high-speed rail network is envisioned as an economic growth driver, supporting small-scale industries and creating opportunities for middle-income households, young people and local artisans.
