India’s Ministry of Railways has published a three-hour, 33-minute Delhi-Varanasi target for a proposed high-speed corridor, while formal sanction still depends on further studies and financing.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw repeated the Delhi-Varanasi estimate in Varanasi on Saturday, ANI reported, and cited a one-hour trip from Varanasi to Patna. The ministry’s May 11 release separately listed Delhi-Lucknow at two hours, 12 minutes and Varanasi-Lucknow at one hour, 21 minutes. The ministry’s May and Aug. 31 releases put Delhi-Agra at 58 minutes, while ANI reported Vaishnaw gave 59 minutes. The statements do not explain the one-minute difference. These are projected journey times; no service schedule has been published.
The ministry’s May release described a route through Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna and Siliguri. In a July 22 parliamentary reply, it identified Delhi-Varanasi and Varanasi-Siliguri as two of seven high-speed corridors included in the 2026-27 Union Budget. It said formal sanction would be considered after project plans, technical and economic feasibility, and funding options were reviewed.
ANI also reported Vaishnaw describing the Northern Corridor as “approved by our Prime Minister.” The ministry’s parliamentary reply categorized the routes as budget announcements and outlined further work before sanction. It did not clarify whether Vaishnaw’s use of “approved” referred to formal project sanction.
Published Delhi-Varanasi estimates have changed: a Feb. 3 ministry release put the journey at about three hours, 50 minutes, before a May release gave the three-hour, 33-minute estimate. The releases did not explain the revision. A June 19 estimate of four hours, 41 minutes applied to the longer Delhi-Patna route, while ANI’s one-hour figure concerned Varanasi-Patna.
The rail ministry says the proposed lines are intended to widen regional connections, attract tourism and investment, support employment and offer an alternative to road or air journeys. Project plans, feasibility reviews and financing remain part of the stated process before officials decide on sanction; the ministry has not announced a construction or opening schedule.
