Delhi-Patna travel time slashed to 4.5 hours? Railway Minister reveals bullet train expansion plan

Travel between Delhi and Patna could soon become dramatically faster, with the Centre planning to extend India’s bullet train network into Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the proposed high-speed rail corridor could cut the journey between the national capital and Patna to just 4.5 hours, news agency ANI reported.

The proposed corridor would connect Delhi with several major cities across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, including Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Patna.

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Delhi-Agra in under an hour

According to the proposal outlined by Vaishnaw, the high-speed train could cover the approximately 200-km distance between Delhi and Agra in 58 minutes. The journey from Delhi to Kanpur, around 455 km, is expected to take 1 hour 50 minutes, while Delhi-Lucknow could be covered in about 2 hours 12 minutes.

The proposed travel time between Delhi and Prayagraj, covering around 750 km, is estimated at three hours. Delhi to Varanasi, a distance of nearly 945 km, could take approximately 3 hours 33 minutes. For the longest proposed stretch, Delhi to Patna, the distance of around 1,170 km could be covered in approximately 4.5 hours.

Major expansion of India’s high-speed rail network

“If the project materialises, it will be the next phase bullet train corridor in the country after the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor and the first to connect the National Capital with many cities of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,” Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

The proposed corridor is also expected to have a wider economic impact by improving connectivity between Delhi and some of northern India’s biggest commercial, cultural and religious centres.

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According to the minister, faster connectivity could provide relief to lakhs of passengers while supporting tourism, business and economic activity across the Delhi-UP-Bihar belt. Religious tourism destinations such as Prayagraj, Varanasi and Patna, along with Agra, could particularly benefit from quicker travel.

The proposal comes as India expands its high-speed rail ambitions. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project has a design speed of 350 kmph and operational speed of 320 kmph. The first high-speed rail service in India is expected to begin in August 2027, with the initial section planned between Surat and Vapi.