4 minutes of readingBombayFebruary 3, 2026 12:03 am IST
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday announced a comprehensive railway development plan for Maharashtra, outlining a budget allocation of Rs 23,926 crore. The ambitious plan includes new high-speed rail corridors, freight connectivity and extensive modernization across the state.
High-speed rail corridors
“23,926 crore will be the total of the railway budget Disbursement for Maharashtra. Meanwhile, projects worth Rs 1.70 lakh crore are underway in the state which will include the new high-speed rail corridors between Bombay–Pune and PuneHyderabadfreight brokers and others,” Vaishnaw said.
New high-speed corridors promise to revolutionize travel. “Travel time will be significantly reduced between Mumbai and Pune to just 48 minutes, and both cities will practically be highly connected. People will be able to easily travel between the two cities to work and return immediately,” Vaishnaw explained.
The Pune-Hyderabad corridor is equally important. “Both Pune and Hyderabad are major IT, electronics and manufacturing hubs and connecting them with a high-speed corridor, the bullet train network, will be very beneficial for commuters. The travel time between both cities will be one hour and fifty-five minutes,” he added, attributing the rapid progress to the mutual coordination of the Maharashtra Chief Minister.
Talking about the details of the route, Rajesh Kumar Verma, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Pune, said, “The new high-speed rail corridor will start from Mumbai via Lonavala, Pune, Daund, and the subsequent stretch will connect Secunderabad.”
Bullet train operations
Addressing operational aspects, Vaishnaw outlined the phased approach to service frequency. “In the initial period after the inauguration, these bullet train frequencies will have an interval of one or two hours. Once the project stabilizes, the frequency will increase.”
Drawing parallels with international systems, he said: “Like Tokyo to Osaka, the bullet train runs every 15 to 20 minutes during peak hours. A similar frequency will be employed in India and the gap will increase during non-peak hours, making it feasible for commuters.”
Economic impact
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Vaishnaw emphasized the broader economic benefits, citing international precedents. “Witnessing the experience of Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, which experienced prosperity (as construction of bullet train routes attracts multiple industries, creates townships, IT parks, food parks, textile parks and boosts economic activity), India will benefit from it and at the same time create employment opportunities.”
He also announced plans to build 132 new railway stations in Maharashtra.
Nashik Kumbh
Looking ahead to major religious gatherings, Vaishnaw said, “Like Maha Kumbh, extensive facilities have been planned for Nashik Kumbh as well as Ujjain, Godavari and Kumbakonam.”
Verma added specific details about the infrastructure. “We are developing Sainagar Shirdi railway station by adding three more railway lines as devotees can visit Shirdi after the upcoming Nashik Kumbh Mela. The capacity creation work at Shirdi will be completed in six months.”
Exclusive freight corridor
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Vaishnaw announced the new exclusive East-West cargo corridor that would connect Vadhavan port of Maharashtra. “This freight corridor will start from West Bengal and pass through Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and join Surat while connecting to the western freight corridor.”
“Vadhavan port is set to become one of the largest ports in the world and the new cargo corridor will allow it to connect with the hinterland of the country,” he added.
Konkan Railway Review
Highlighting the need to improve coastal connectivity, Vaishnaw said, “There is a need to improve the capacity of Konkan Railway as it provides connectivity to crucial coastal areas. There are multiple areas to focus on such as doubling of tracks, strengthening tunnels, renewing old track technology, installing innovative KAVACH systems among other works. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) in this regard has been completed and is in the approval phase.”