South Central Railway General Manager Sanjay Kumar Srivastava along with senior SCR officials watch Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw addressing a virtual press conference on Union Budget 2026–27 highlights pertaining to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, at GM’s Conference Hall, Rail Nilayam in Secunderabad on Monday.
| Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G
Telangana received a record budget allocation of ₹5,454 crore for railway projects to be taken up during the financial year 2026–27, with works worth ₹47,984 crore currently in progress for expansion of the rail network, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday.
Addressing the media virtually from New Delhi, the Minister said the allocation marked a nearly six-fold increase compared to the average annual outlay made during 2009–14 for the undivided State. Mr. Vaishnaw said the proposed high‑speed rail corridors — Hyderabad–Pune, Hyderabad–Chennai and Hyderabad–Bengaluru — would form a “diamond network” of fast‑travel routes that will not only reduce journey times drastically but also accelerate economic growth.
While stating that further details on the elevated alignments, detailed project reports and other components would be shared in due course, he said the expected travel times on the corridors were: Hyderabad–Bengaluru: 2 hours; Hyderabad–Chennai: 2 hours 55 minutes and Hyderabad–Pune: 1 hour 55 minutes.
Andhra Pradesh received double the allocation at ₹10,134 crore for works totalling ₹92,649 crore — an eleven-fold increase compared to the 2009–14 average for the combined State. The two high‑speed corridors — Hyderabad–Bengaluru and Hyderabad–Chennai — will also pass significantly through Andhra Pradesh, he said.
Mr. Vaishnaw also stated that the Centre has been expeditiously taking up the formation of South Coast Railway (SCoR) and construction of the zonal offices would begin soon. Normally it takes three to four years to make a new zone operational because of the logistics involved including staff transfers, setting up of jurisdictional divisions and likes. But the work is being fast tracked with the cooperation of the AP government, he explained.
Later, South Central Railway (SCR) General Manager Sanjay Kumar Srivastava said Hyderabad would host the maintenance depot for the high‑speed trains, as three of the services will originate from the city. A major portion of the revamped Secunderabad station is expected to be ready by March, particularly the platform 10 side, he said.
On improving MMTS suburban services, Mr. Srivastava cited operational constraints arising from shared tracks with long‑distance express and freight trains. However, he said the MMTS Phase‑II Yadadri railway link would be taken up soon with 100% railway funding, without waiting for the State government’s contribution.
Published – February 02, 2026 09:04 pm IST
