"Chennai–Bengaluru and Hyderabad–Chennai corridors fast-tracked in Union Budget 2026 to revolutionize Southern connectivity."

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently announced seven new high-speed rail (HSR) corridors in the Union Budget 2026, including two routes originating from Chennai. The corridors are Mumbai–Pune, Pune–Hyderabad, Chennai–Bengaluru, Chennai–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Delhi–Varanasi and Varanasi–Siliguri. The projects will be executed by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).

The proposed Chennai–Bengaluru and Chennai–Hyderabad corridors are expected to significantly benefit passengers, particularly as India prepares for the launch of bullet train services on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad route in the coming years.

A senior Southern Railway official said the Chennai–Bengaluru and Chennai–Hyderabad routes are among the busiest rail corridors, with more than 25 mail and express trains operating between Chennai and Bengaluru alone, including a double-decker service. Last year, the Union Railway Minister had announced that a detailed project report (DPR) was being prepared for the Chennai–Hyderabad HSR corridor, with a halt at Tirupati.

According to senior railway officials, trains on the HSR corridors will operate at a minimum speed of 230 km per hour, while bullet trains will run at speeds of up to 370 km per hour. The HSR corridors will require the construction of new tracks built to international standards similar to those used for bullet trains and will primarily connect cities with high volumes of air travel.

At present, train travel time between Chennai and Bengaluru, including the Vande Bharat service, is around six hours, while journeys to Hyderabad take more than 12 hours. Under the HSR corridor, travel time to Hyderabad is expected to be reduced to under three hours.

However, the announcement has drawn criticism from some residents and transport activists, who said the absence of an HSR corridor to Coimbatore was disappointing. They argued that a Chennai–Coimbatore HSR link could have helped develop a business and tourism corridor, given Coimbatore’s industrial base and its role as a gateway to tourist destinations such as Ooty.Transport activist Dayanand Krishnan said the proposed HSR network in Tamil Nadu primarily benefits Chennai. He said broader coverage linking cities such as Coimbatore in western Tamil Nadu and Madurai in the southern region to Chennai would better serve the State’s population and economic needs, adding that extending connectivity to Bengaluru and Hyderabad would be beneficial for the people of Tamil Nadu.