Delhi to Siliguri in Just 6 Hours? Railways Unveils Bullet Train Corridor Across UP, Bihar, Bengal

Kolkata: Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Saturday announced the launch of another bullet train project connecting Delhi and Siliguri, stating that the high-speed corridor will cut travel time between the two cities to just six hours from the current 20 hours.

Where will bullet train connect?

This bullet train, which will be India's second bullet train project after the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail line, will travel through Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar to Bengal. Work on this new route will begin after the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train high-speed corridor. 

This bullet train will connect Delhi with major cities like Lucknow, Varanasi, and Patna, and will reach Siliguri in Bengal. This will reduce the current 20-22-hour journey from Delhi to Kolkata by trains like Rajdhani and Duronto to just 6-7 hours. 

What did Railway Minister say?

Ashwini Vaishnav announced the Delhi-Siliguri high-speed corridor during his visit to Kolkata. The Railway Minister also said railway works worth over Rs 1 lakh crore were under way in the state. The project will be India's second after the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, expected to begin operations next year.

"A bullet train project will come to West Bengal. It will connect Delhi and Siliguri via Lucknow, Varanasi and Patna," the Union Minister said.

During his Kolkata visit, where he also took a metro ride, Vaishnaw lauded Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for the poll victory and for "saving Bengal" from the Trinamool Congress, which he accused of stalling key projects.

Delhi Siliguri Bullet Train

The Delhi-Siliguri bullet train corridor will connect four major states: Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. It will connect two separate high-speed corridors. The first route will be the Delhi-Varanasi high-speed corridor. The second part will be the Varanasi-Patna-Siliguri high-speed corridor. The PM Narendra Modi government has prioritised these bullet train projects in the budget. 

Delhi Varanasi Siliguri Bullet Train Route Stations

The Delhi-Varanasi-Siliguri train will depart from New Delhi and connect cities like Noida, Mathura, Agra, Etawah, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh. In Bihar, it will pass through Patna and then continue to Siliguri, a tourist destination in northern West Bengal.

Bullet train covers a 20-hour journey in just 6 hours?

The train journey from Delhi to Siliguri currently takes 18 to 20 hours using trains like the Rajdhani Express or Duronto Express. With the completion of the bullet train corridor, the 1,500-kilometer journey from Delhi to Siliguri will take just six hours. The bullet train will travel at a speed of 250 to 300 kilometers per hour.

Delhi to Varanasi: Approx 3 hours 50 minutes
Delhi to Patna: 4 hours 20 minutes
Varanasi to Siliguri: Approx 2 hours 55 minutes

Delhi to Siliguri Bullet Train Project

The Delhi-Siliguri High-Speed Corridor will connect North India with the gateway to Northeast India. It will also benefit populous states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, alleviating train congestion in these states. It will also cover most of the Delhi-Howrah route. The Railway Minister has stated that bullet trains will be introduced in Bengal. in Bengal .

Siliguri, the gateway to the Northeast, is known as the Chicken Neck Corridor. It connects Northeast India with the rest of the country. This bullet train will greatly facilitate tourism, military and logistics movement. 

Land acquisition for bullet train

The bullet train project, which will extend the Delhi-Varanasi High-Speed Corridor to Siliguri, will be the second largest high-speed rail project in the country. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Corridor is the first. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and West Bengal officials have assured to expedite land acquisition for this project. Alignment and land acquisition work will also begin soon in Delhi and Varanasi.