Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced a record budgetary allocation of ₹23,926 crore for Maharashtra in the Union Budget 2026-27. “Rs 23,926 crore will be the total railway budget outlay
for Maharashtra. Meanwhile, Rs 1.70 lakh crore worth projects are ongoing in the state that will include the new high-speed rail corridorsbetween Mumbai-Pune and Pune-Hyderabad, freight corridors and others,” Vaishnaw said at a press conference. “The travel time will be significantly slashed between Mumbai to Pune to just 48 minutes, and both cities will practically be very much connected. People can commute easily between the two cities for their work and return immediately,” Vaishnaw said. ThePune-Hyderabad corridor is equally significant. “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 highly beneficial for commuters. The travel time between both cities will be one hour fifty-five minutes,” he said.
मुंबई सबर्बन के लिए करीब ₹16 हजार करोड़ के काम चल रहे हैं। 3 व 4 लाइन, प्लेटफॉर्म को बढ़ाना, डबल स्टोरी प्लेटफॉर्म बनाने का काम भी चल रहा है। माननीय प्रधानमंत्री जी ने महाराष्ट्र को रिकॉर्ड ₹23,926 करोड़ रेल बजट दिया है: रेल मंत्री श्री @AshwiniVaishnaw जी pic.twitter.com/GI4VYSWKRx
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) February 3, 2026
What are the highlights?
Two new bullet train corridors have been sanctioned to improve inter-city connectivity:
- Mumbai-Pune travel time will be reduced to just 48 minutes.
- Pune-Hyderabad travel time is expected to be 1 hour and 55 minutes.
Under the Amrit Station Scheme, 132 railway stations in the state will be completely redeveloped with an investment of ₹5,675 crore.
A new Dedicated Freight Corridor will connect to the upcoming Vadhvan Port in Palghar district, boosting countrywide freight logistics.
For Mumbai suburban railway, the plans include the introduction of 238 new AC local trains featuring automatic doors and oxygen regulation systems.
Currently, railway works worth ₹1,70,058 crore are underway in Maharashtra, covering new tracks, safety enhancements, and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train, which is slated for commercial operation next year.
Total track construction in the state since 2014 has reached approximately 2,400 km, and the network has achieved 100% electrification.
महाराष्ट्र के लिए करीब ₹23,926 Cr. करोड़ का रिकॉर्ड रेल बजट आवंटित हुआ है। राज्य को 2 नए बुलेट ट्रेन प्रोजेक्ट्स मिले हैं- मुंबई से पुणे और पुणे से हैदराबाद। इससे मुंबई से पुणे की यात्रा मात्र 48 मिनट की रह जाएगी: रेल मंत्री श्री @AshwiniVaishnaw जी#Budget2026… pic.twitter.com/osF4gwBOsb
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) February 2, 2026
Bullet trains, Kumbh Mela to Konkan: Vaishnaw’s key quotes
Addressing operational aspects, Vaishnaw outlinedthe phased approach to service frequency. “In the initial period after the inauguration, these bullet train frequencies will be a gap of one or two hours. After the project gets stabilised, then the frequency will increase,” he said.
Vaishnaw said, “Similar to Maha Kumbh, exhaustive facilities have been planned for Nashik Kumbh as well as Ujjain, Godavari, and Kumbakonam,” Vaishnaw said.
#ViksitBharatBudget:
7 High-Speed Rail Corridors as growth connectors between cities ⬇️🚅 Mumbai to Pune
🚅 Pune to Hyderabad
🚅 Hyderabad to Bengaluru
🚅 Hyderabad to Chennai
🚅 Chennai to Bengaluru
🚅 Delhi to Varanasi
🚅 Varanasi to Siliguri pic.twitter.com/XY5PEVge1y— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) February 1, 2026
“This freight corridor will begin in West Bengal and travel through Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and will join Surat while connecting with the western freight corridor…. “Vadhavan port is poised to become one of the largest ports in the world, and the new freight corridor would allow it to connect with the country’s hinterland,” he said.
“There’s a need to improve the capacity of Konkan railway as it offers connectivity to crucial coastal areas. There are multiple areas to be focused on, such as doubling the tracks, strengthening tunnels, renewing old track technology, installing innovative KAVACH systems, among other works. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been completed in this regard, and is in the phase of approval,” the minister said.
