STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Guwahati, nay the entire Northeast, is set to take the high-speed route to progress quite literally with the approval of the ambitious bullet train project up to the capital city of Assam.
In a significant development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi okayed the extension of the ambitious Delhi-Siliguri bullet train project up to Guwahati.
And when the project finally sees light of the day, the train travel time between Guwahati and Delhi is expected to be drastically reduced to mere eight hours, as per the proposal.
Currently, Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express (12423), which is currently the fastest train between Guwahati and the national capital, takes approximately 27 hours and 55 minutes. The proposed high-speed rail line will pass through Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Patna, and Siliguri before culminating at Guwahati.
As per the proposal, the projected travel time from Delhi to Agra is 59 minutes, Delhi to Kanpur is 1 hour 45 minutes, Delhi to Lucknow is 2 hours 12 minutes, Lucknow to Varanasi is 1 hour 21 minutes, and Delhi to Varanasi is 3 hours 35 minutes.
Though specific completion deadlines, final station maps, and exact project costs have not yet been officially announced, the high-speed rail network is planned as a 'Make in India' initiative using domestic workers and engineers.
Describing the extension of the bullet train corridor to Guwahati as a pivotal moment for East India, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Sarma has expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Taking to 'X', the Chief Minister said the corridor was initially meant to end at Siliguri. "After my written request and meeting with Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Ji in July, he saw merit in our proposal and approved its extension into the North East," he wrote.
He said this is what a government that listens and delivers looks like.
As Assam prepares for a new wave of high-tech industries, the Chief Minister maintained that fast, affordable flight-like connectivity to Delhi and two state capitals will open up enormous opportunities for businesses and livelihoods.
"A bullet train to Assam once seemed so far-fetched that it never even became a public demand. Today, what we scarcely dared to dream is becoming reality," he claimed.
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