Varanasi–Howrah HSR

Varanasi–Howrah HSR is a proposed 760 km bullet train corridor planned by NHSRCL to connect Varanasi and Howrah (Kolkata). Its route map, stations and latest updates are below.

The Varanasi-Howrah High-Speed Rail corridor is a 760 km bullet train line planned by the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) to connect Varanasi with Kolkata via Patna, spanning Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Designed for 350 km/h, it would extend high-speed rail across the eastern Gangetic plain, among the most densely populated and least rail-modernised regions of India. It is intended to eventually connect with the Delhi-Varanasi corridor to form a Delhi-Kolkata high-speed spine.

The corridor is at an early planning stage; station locations remain to be finalised.

Why it matters

Varanasi-Howrah would bring high-speed rail to eastern India for the first time and, joined to Delhi-Varanasi, complete a Delhi-Kolkata bullet train, the eastern counterpart to the Delhi-Mumbai spine. Its progress is a measure of whether India’s HSR programme extends beyond the wealthier west and south into the eastern heartland.

Key facts

• Operator: National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL)
• Length: 760 km; standard gauge; station count TBD
• Speed: max 350 / operational 320 / average 250 km/h
• Expected stations: Varanasi, Buxar, Arrah, Patna, Nawada, Dhanbad, Asansol, Durgapur, Burdwan, Howrah
• Status: Proposed / early planning

Explore more

• India Metro & Rail Project Status Dashboard
• Quick Snapshot of tracked projects
• Metro & rail Tender Tracker
• Delhi Metro
• Latest Varanasi–Howrah project news

Official source: nhsrcl.in