Bengaluru: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that the proposed South Bullet Train Corridor will connect Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Amaravati and Chennai, marking a major step toward expanding high-speed rail connectivity across southern India. Speaking during the launch of the Vande Bharat Sleeper service between Bengaluru and Mumbai on the occasion of Karnataka Rajyotsava, the minister said the project has received approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to Vaishnaw, the new corridor is expected to strengthen economic integration among key technology and industrial hubs while significantly reducing travel time between major cities.

The Railway Minister said the proposed high-speed rail network would cut the travel time between Bengaluru and Hyderabad to nearly two hours and ten minutes, while the journey between Bengaluru and Chennai would take just 73 minutes. He stated that the improved connectivity would boost business, trade, investment and employment opportunities across southern states, bringing major cities closer together. Vaishnaw also revealed that the Centre has approved 4,000 kilometres of bullet train corridors, with another 3,000 kilometres expected to be announced in the near future as part of India’s long-term infrastructure development plans.

Apart from the bullet train project, Vaishnaw announced that a Bengaluru-Mangaluru Vande Bharat train will begin operations in the coming weeks after electrification and trial runs are completed. He also confirmed another Vande Bharat Sleeper service connecting Bengaluru with Hubballi, Pune and Mumbai, passing through Guntakal, Raichur, Yadgir and Kalaburagi to improve railway connectivity in North Karnataka. Emphasising the government’s focus on modernising Indian Railways, the minister said services such as Namo Bharat, Amrit Bharat and Vande Bharat are being introduced to provide faster, safer and more comfortable travel for passengers while supporting the vision of a developed India.