Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday announced in Varanasi that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Northern Corridor of the bullet train network, a high-speed line that will begin in Delhi, pass through key cities of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and extend to Guwahati in Assam via Siliguri. Vaishnaw said the corridor would benefit the country for decades and bring convenience to middle-class families, the underprivileged, youth, small entrepreneurs and the MSME sector.

Source: ANI via New Kerala

Giving the proposed journey times, Vaishnaw said Delhi to Agra will take 59 minutes, Delhi to Kanpur one hour 45 minutes, Delhi to Lucknow two hours 12 minutes and Delhi to Varanasi three hours 33 minutes. Within the east, Varanasi to Prayagraj will take 33 minutes, Varanasi to Patna one hour, Varanasi to Lucknow one hour 21 minutes and Varanasi to Agra two hours 34 minutes. He said fares on the corridor will be kept very economical and much less than flight tickets.

Source: ANI via Daily Jagran

59 minutesProposed Delhi to Agra bullet train time
2 hrs 12 minsProposed Delhi to Lucknow time
3 hrs 33 minsProposed Delhi to Varanasi time
33 minutesProposed Varanasi to Prayagraj time

Kashi station pitched as a hub for North and North-East India

Vaishnaw, who spoke after flagging off the Kashi–Delhi Vande Bharat Sleeper service, said Kashi railway station is emerging as a major transport connectivity hub for North India and the North East. He said the station has been designed with facilities on its northern and southern sides, including a waiting area roughly the size of a football field that can hold over 50,000 passengers at a time, and that its southern side is about two kilometres from the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, giving pilgrims easy access to the temple and the ghats.

Source: ANI via New Kerala

Congress leader Ajay Rai criticised the government's infrastructure approach, alleging that assets are built and then sold. 'The way they built these airports and then sold them off — that is exactly what they are still doing. Whether it is the Vande Bharat or the airports, their only mantra is: build and sell,' Rai said, according to ANI. No construction timeline or project cost for the Northern Corridor was announced on Saturday.