Chennai is set to get two new routes of high-speed rail in the future.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the Union budget 2026, presented on Sunday, announced seven new high-speed rail (HSR) corridors, including two corridors from Chennai. The seven HSR corridors are: Mumbai to Pune, Pune to Hyderabad, Chennai to Bengaluru, Chennai to Hyderabad, Hyderabad to Bengaluru, Delhi to Varanasi, and Varanasi to Siliguri. The project would be executed by National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).
In the wake of the country set to witness the operation of bullet trains from Mumbai to Ahmedabad in a few years, the construction of the two HSR corridors from the city to Bengaluru and Hyderabad would be a big boost to the thousands of passengers.
A senior official of the Southern Railway said the routes to Bengaluru and Hyderabad are in high demand as numerous mail and express trains are operated from Chennai, including the double-decker train. More than 25 mail and express trains are operated from and via Chennai to Bengaluru, the railway official pointed out.
Last year, the Union Railway Minister had announced that a detailed project report for the HSR corridor from Chennai to Hyderabad, with a stop at Tirupati was being prepared.
