Bullet Train India: Delhi-Agra under 1 hour, Prayagraj in 3 hours; check travel times for Kanpur, Lucknow, Patna, more

A proposed bullet train corridor could reduce travel between Delhi and Patna to 4.5 hours. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw earlier outlined the plan, highlighting faster connections across states.

The corridor would link Delhi with major cities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. These include Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Patna.

Ashwini Vaishnaw spoke virtually during the inauguration of the upgraded Nepalganj Road-Nanpara-Bahraich railway section. The section has been converted to broad gauge and electrified.

Under the proposal, trains would cover the 200-kilometre Delhi-Agra journey in 58 minutes. Travelling from Delhi to Kanpur, a distance of 455 kilometres, would take 1 hour and 50 minutes. The detailed estimate for Delhi-Lucknow is 2 hours and 12 minutes for a distance of 495 kilometres.

Passengers could reach Prayagraj from Delhi in 3 hours, covering an estimated 750 kilometres. The 945-kilometre journey to Varanasi would take around 3 hours and 33 minutes. Patna, located 1,170 kilometres along the proposed journey, would be reachable in 4.5 hours.

The minister described the proposal as a possible next phase after the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor. If realised, it would connect the national capital with several cities across both states.

The project is expected to benefit passengers and encourage tourism, trade and wider economic activity. Faster journeys could improve access to major destinations across the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh-Bihar region.

Bullet train timeline

Testing for India’s own bullet train is expected to start by May or June 2027. Vaishnaw announced the timeline on 8 September at an event in Vadodara.

The minister said that testing would continue for 2-4 months before the train’s inauguration. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the service after testing, according to the railway minister.

Speaking at the ‘NaMo for Viksit Bharat’ event, Vaishnaw reported progress on the train’s construction. Its first body frame was recently completed and sent for a squeeze test.

The minister linked the project to the government’s vision of a self-reliant India. He said passengers could travel between Vadodara and Mumbai in just 90 minutes.

Construction on the Surat-Vapi section is expected to finish by December. Vaishnaw said that the work on the wider bullet train project was moving rapidly.

“We are reforming and modernising everything--from operating systems and reservation systems to old construction protocols,” ANI quoted the minister as saying.

He also outlined changes across railway operations, ticket reservations and construction methods. Freight improvements include new wagon designs, with a special design for transporting salt. Cargo trains using Vande Bharat technology were also nearing completion, he said.

Vaishnaw highlighted completed projects, including the Chenab Bridge and Mizoram’s connection to the railway network. He said 280 stations had been redeveloped and 36,000 kilometres of new tracks had been built.