Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said a proposed northern high-speed rail line would reach Guwahati, giving India’s northeastern state a projected rail journey of under eight hours to Delhi.
In a post on X Sunday, Sarma said the corridor had originally been expected to end at Siliguri, West Bengal. He said he submitted a written request for Guwahati’s inclusion and met Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in July, crediting Vaishnaw with the extension.
Vaishnaw said Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the north corridor. A Ministry of Railways video outlined a proposed route from Delhi through Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Patna and Siliguri, then onward to Guwahati.
Earlier ministry plans covered parts of the route. A February 2026 budget note listed Delhi–Varanasi and Varanasi–Siliguri as proposed high-speed links, with estimated journey times of about 3 hours 50 minutes and 2 hours 55 minutes, respectively. Those figures apply to the proposed sections; Sarma’s under-eight-hour Delhi–Guwahati duration is his own projection.
In a March reply to the Lok Sabha, the ministry included both links among seven high-speed corridors announced in the 2026–27 budget. It said sanction depends on detailed project reports, techno-economic feasibility studies and financing.
Sarma argued that improved rail links could help businesses and livelihoods and support Assam’s effort to develop high-tech industries. The ministry’s March reply sets out the studies and funding needed for corridor sanction but gives no timetable for the Guwahati service.
