BENGALURU: Travel time between Bengaluru and Chennai could be reduced to just 1 hour 13 minutes, while journeys to Hyderabad may take only two hours, under the Union government’s proposal to develop high-speed rail corridors connecting major cities. The Union Budget announcement outlines plans for seven high-speed rail corridors as “growth connectors” across the country.
Bengaluru will be linked to both Chennai and Hyderabad as part of what Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw described as a “south high-speed diamond”, connecting South Indian states. Speaking at a post-Budget press briefing, Vaishnaw said the corridors would act as a major growth multiplier, particularly as the three cities are prominent IT and technology hubs.
While the announcement has been welcomed, railway experts cautioned that the project’s impact on Karnataka would depend heavily on route alignment, design, speed and integration with existing rail infrastructure. Rail expert Sanjeev Dyamannavar pointed out that feasibility studies for a Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru high-speed corridor had been conducted nearly five years ago, but has failed to progress. Questioning the utility of a standalone Chennai-Bengaluru corridor, he noted that last-mile connectivity and terminal access could significantly reduce time savings.
Drawing parallels with access-controlled highways, he said high-speed rail corridors must be fully segregated, with no level crossings or public access. “Ideally, the Chennai corridor should have been extended up to Mysuru, and the Hyderabad corridor planned as part of a larger Bengaluru-Delhi link,” he said.
He also stressed that long-term planning, network integration and possible extensions such as linking Hyderabad to Nagpur and Delhi would be crucial in ensuring the project delivers transformative benefits rather than remaining a fragmented initiative.
Rail activist Krishna Prasad said infrastructure projects such as the Bengaluru-Chennai expressway bypassed traditional routes and instead improved connectivity through regions like Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) and Bangarpet. “A true high-speed corridor would require new, straighter alignments with fewer curves and limited stops, allowing trains to run at high speeds,” he said, adding that final speeds would depend on clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
Pune rail link better: Patil
While the announcement on developing high-speed rail corridors between Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and to Chennai is welcome, it offers limited benefits to Karnataka. Instead, a similar corridor should have been taken up between Bengaluru and Pune. In both the routes announced, the trains will not even operate for 100km within Karnataka
—MB Patil, Minister for Large and Medium Industries