Siliguri, 01st February: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented the Union Budget 2026 in Parliament, announcing major initiatives to strengthen India’s rail and logistics infrastructure. The budget includes plans to develop seven high-speed rail corridors across the country along with a new dedicated freight corridor, with Siliguri included in the proposed network.
The Finance Minister said the initiatives aim to reduce long-distance travel time and lower the cost of goods transportation. She told the Lok Sabha that the high-speed rail corridors will connect key economic, industrial, and cultural centres of the country, boosting overall growth.
According to the budget announcement, the proposed high-speed rail corridors are Mumbai to Pune, Pune to Hyderabad, Hyderabad to Bengaluru, Hyderabad to Chennai, Chennai to Bengaluru, Bengaluru to Varanasi, and Varanasi to Siliguri.
The Varanasi-Siliguri corridor is expected to significantly improve connectivity for North Bengal, providing a major push to trade, tourism, and regional development.