The ministry of railways has been allocated a capital expenditure of ₹2,93,030 crore, while a total outlay of ₹2,78,030 crore has been set aside for the ministry in the Union Budget 2026-27 in what was the highest-ever allocation for Railways.
Aside from the “historic” allocation, the Centre has proposed seven high-speed rail corridors across several cities in India to be developed as “growth connectors”. Of the total seven, some include Mumbai to Pune, Hyderabad to Chennai, and Varanasi to Siliguri. Follow live updates related to Budget here.
ALSO READ | Budget 2026 proposes 7 high-speed rail corridors across India | Full list here
Railway Budget 2026: How much did Indian Railways get?
The government has announced a capital spending plan of ₹2,93,030 crore for Indian Railways. At the same time, an overall outlay of ₹2,78,030 crore has been set aside for the ministry.
{{/usCountry}}The government has announced a capital spending plan of ₹2,93,030 crore for Indian Railways. At the same time, an overall outlay of ₹2,78,030 crore has been set aside for the ministry.
{{/usCountry}}Responding to the move, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Budget has created a solid base for the country’s development.
Speaking to news agency ANI, he said, “I would like to thank the PM and Finance Minister. A strong foundation has been laid for the all-round development of the country and for Viksit Bharat…For the railway, there are 7 new high-speed corridors, and a southern triangle of Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad will be formed...A new dedicated freight corridor has also been announced..”
High-speed rail corridors announced
Here is the list of all the corridors:
- Mumbai to Pune
- Pune to Hyderabad
- Hyderabad-Bengaluru
- Hyderabad to Chennai
- Chennai to Bengaluru
- Bengaluru to Varanasi
- Varanasi to Siliguri
Union Budget 2026
In her budget speech, Sitharaman said that the proposals would directly benefit the country’s youth, women, farmers, as well as public and private investment.
“Our first duty is to accelerate and sustain economic growth by enhancing productivity and competitiveness and building resilience to volatile global dynamics,” she told the Parliament.