Survey ordered for new Bullet Train Corridor connecting Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru & Amaravati

Visakhapatnam, India (Metro Rail Today): In a significant move to expand India’s high-speed rail ambitions, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced on Friday that a survey has been ordered for a new bullet train corridor in South India, connecting Hyderabad, Chennai, Amaravati, and Bengaluru.

Speaking at the India Food Manufacturing Summit in Visakhapatnam, Naidu said, “Very soon, a bullet train is going to come to South India. That is going to happen. A survey has already been ordered. These four cities—Hyderabad, Chennai, Amaravati, and Bengaluru—collectively represent over five crore people and one of the largest markets in the world.”

This announcement aligns with the central government’s broader push to develop a 7,000-km high-speed rail network across India. The new southern corridor is expected to be a transformative infrastructure project, linking key metros and economic hubs in one of the country’s most industrialized and rapidly growing regions.

India–Japan Partnership in Focus

Earlier the same day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled from Tokyo to Sendai aboard a Japanese bullet train, accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, symbolizing India’s growing collaboration with Japan on high-speed rail.

In an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, PM Modi reiterated the government’s vision for expanding bullet train connectivity:

“While the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project is on its way, we have unveiled a bigger ambition—to develop a 7,000-kilometer-long network of high-speed rail in our country,” he said.

He further added that passenger services on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad route, India’s first bullet train project being implemented with Japanese assistance, are expected to begin in the next few years.

India's Future Bullet Train Network

As part of the National Rail Plan, several corridors have been identified as candidates for future high-speed rail development. These include:

• Delhi – Varanasi

• Delhi – Ahmedabad

• Mumbai – Nagpur

• Mumbai – Hyderabad

• Chennai – Mysore

• Delhi – Amritsar

• Varanasi – Howrah

The addition of a Hyderabad–Chennai–Amaravati–Bengaluru corridor reflects the government's increasing focus on the southern region, home to major technology, manufacturing, and logistics centres, as well as a rapidly expanding urban population.

Mrs. Mamta Shah, MD & CEO of Urban Infra Group, praised the announcement, stating, “A high-speed rail network connecting South India’s top cities is not just infrastructure—it’s an economic multiplier. It will cut travel time, boost investment, and signal India’s emergence as a global player in high-speed mobility.”

As India looks to become a developed economy by 2047, the acceleration of its bullet train program is expected to play a pivotal role in shaping future-ready transport systems—providing safe, fast, and sustainable alternatives to road and air travel.