Bengaluru–Pune-Mumbai high-speed rail proposal gains momentum

Infrastructure Development Minister M.B. Patil on Thursday welcomed the move by Union Ministers Prahlad Joshi and H.D. Kumaraswamy to take up the proposal for a Bengaluru–Pune–Mumbai high-speed rail corridor, with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Speaking to the media, Mr. Patil said he had flagged the need for the corridor immediately after the Union Budget and stressed that the initiative should move beyond discussions to implementation. “There is no politics involved. The proposal must be taken to its logical conclusion,” he said.

Mr. Patil noted the need for efficient, world-class connectivity between Bengaluru, India’s technology hub, and Mumbai, the country’s financial capital. Such a corridor, he said, would catalyse economic and industrial growth across central and north Karnataka and western Maharashtra.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2026–27 on Sunday (February 1, 2026), announced seven high-speed rail (HSR) corridors across the country, describing them as “growth connectors”.

Among the corridors listed, the Hyderabad–Bengaluru and Chennai–Bengaluru routes are expected to directly link Bengaluru with two other State capitals. However, Mr. Patil said that a Bengaluru–Pune–Mumbai high-speed rail corridor should also have been announced, as it would bring wider economic benefits to Karnataka.