Railway budget 2026: Vaishnaw's ministry gets ₹2.9 lakh crore capex allocation, total outlay at ₹2.7 lakh crore

The Centre has announced a capital spending plan of ₹2,93,030 crore for Indian Railways. Meanwhile, an overall outlay of ₹2,78,030 crore has been set aside.

Updated on: Feb 1, 2026, 16:00:47 IST

Edited by Aryan Mudgal

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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.

India's first Vande Bharat sleeper train is seen in West Bengal, at Kamakhya Railway Station, in Guwahati. (PTI)

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.

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aryan Mudgal
Aryan Mudgal is a Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly three years of experience. He is part of the digital news team at HT and enjoys covering day-to-day news and writing long, detailed explainers on key national and global affairs. He takes particular interest in reading and writing about Indian politics, crime, civic issues, as well as global affairs. He goes berserk when covering elections, especially Lok Sabha and assembly polls, and always looks out for fresh stories that could intrigue readers. At Hindustan Times, Aryan has covered various major events, including the Bihar assembly elections, Maharashtra civic polls, the US' military action in Venezuela, Union Budget, and Bangladesh elections. He has previously worked with the explainers team at Firstpost and the news desk at Times Network, covering a range of events including the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Israel–Hamas war, Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh’s student protests and Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, Delhi assembly elections, and more. He completed his bachelor’s degree in CEP (Communications & Media, English, and Psychology) from Christ University, Bengaluru, and later pursued a postgraduate diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). He hails from Siliguri in West Bengal and enjoys reading about politics and day-to-day issues concerning the state. Outside of work, Aryan loves listening to music and enjoys rewatching his favourite comfort shows.Read More

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