Patna: Bihar is set to witness the arrival of high-speed bullet trains, bringing a significant boost to rail travel in the state. The upcoming 704-kilometer high-speed rail corridor will connect Varanasi to Siliguri via Patna, allowing trains to run at speeds of up to 350 km per hour. The journey from Varanasi to Siliguri, which currently takes 14–18 hours, will be completed in just 2 hours and 55 minutes.
Key Stops in Bihar
The high-speed corridor will link Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. Within Bihar, Patna and Katihar will serve as major stops, enabling significant time savings for passengers. Travel time from Varanasi to Patna will reduce to just 50 minutes, while the Patna to Siliguri segment will take approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes.
Budget Allocation and Infrastructure Development
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the 2026-27 Union Budget allocated a record ₹2.78 lakh crore for Indian Railways, with ₹10,379 crore earmarked for Bihar. Vinod Kumar, DRM of Danapur Division, noted that projects worth over ₹1.09 lakh crore are already underway in Bihar, strengthening the state’s rail infrastructure.
National High-Speed Rail Expansion
As part of a nationwide initiative announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, seven new high-speed rail corridors are planned across India, with an estimated total investment of ₹16 lakh crore. The Varanasi–Siliguri corridor forms a key component of this ambitious project. Senior officials, including DRM Vinod Kumar and Senior DCM Abhinav Siddharth, were present at the press conference outlining these developments.
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