Budget 2026-27: Seven High-Speed Rail Corridors Announced
Why in the news
In the Union Budget presented on 1 February 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed seven high-speed rail corridors, described in the speech as growth connectors.
Key facts
- High-speed rail: seven corridors linking major cities across the country.
- Capital expenditure: Rs 12.2 lakh crore for FY 2026-27, against Rs 11.2 lakh crore in FY 2025-26.
- Fiscal deficit: 4.4% of GDP in the FY26 revised estimates and 4.3% of GDP in the FY27 budget estimates.
| No. | Proposed corridor |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mumbai to Pune |
| 2 | Pune to Hyderabad |
| 3 | Hyderabad to Bengaluru |
| 4 | Hyderabad to Chennai |
| 5 | Chennai to Bengaluru |
| 6 | Delhi to Varanasi |
| 7 | Varanasi to Siliguri |
About the Union Budget
The Union Budget is the annual statement of the government’s receipts and spending, presented to Parliament by the Finance Minister. RE means revised estimates for the year that is ending, and BE means budget estimates for the coming year.
Exam angle
- Learn the seven corridors; Hyderabad appears in three of them.
- Know the capex figure of Rs 12.2 lakh crore and the two fiscal deficit targets.
- Do not confuse RE (FY26) with BE (FY27) when reading deficit numbers.