VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has received a record allocation of Rs 10,134 crore in the Union Railway Budget for the financial year 2026-27.
This marks an increase of Rs 717 crore over last year’s allocation of Rs 9,417 crore. The total railway outlay in the Union Budget stands at Rs 2,78,030 crore.
Highlighting AP’s gains, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the State’s railway budget outlay has grown more than 11 times compared to the average annual allocation of Rs 886 crore during 2009-14 for the erstwhile combined Andhra Pradesh.
He noted that infrastructure projects worth Rs 92,649 crore are currently under execution in Andhra Pradesh, and the railway network has achieved 100% electrification.
The Union Minister also announced two high-speed rail corridors – Hyderabad-Bengaluru and Hyderabad-Chennai – will pass through Andhra Pradesh. Though it has not been mentioned, Chennai-Bengaluru corridor will also cover a part of AP.
These projects are expected to drastically reduce travel time, with Hyderabad-Bengaluru taking just two hours, and Hyderabad-Chennai about 2 hours and 55 minutes.
The corridors will act as economic growth engines, the Union Minister said.
‘South High-Speed Triangle will be game-changer’
These high-speed railway corridors (bullet train corridors) will be on elevated platforms, which will not affect the public movement in the regions, it passes through, and the train speed will be 350 kmph.
Further, there will be no track dividing the farmlands, he highlighted.
After Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, the NDA government at the Centre, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is keen on expanding such networks across the nation, and initially has taken up seven more such corridors, including five in South India.
“In South India, the Chennai-Bengaluru-Hyderabad high-speed network will form a South High-Speed Triangle (or diamond), connecting major economic and IT hubs. It will be a game-changer for Andhra Pradesh, and other southern States,” he said.
Vaishnaw further emphasised that the establishment of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, is being expedited with support from the AP government. “Normally, it takes three to four years for a railway zone to become fully functional. In the case of SCoR, work is already under way, and we are trying to complete the process at the earliest,” he said.
To accelerate SCoR’s functioning, 959 employees have been transferred from South Central Railway, along with 22 personnel temporarily from Vijayawada, Guntakal and Guntur divisions, strengthening administrative and operational capacity.
Another important announcement was four laning of the Kolkata-Chennai route, which passes through Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Given the thrust to logistics in Andhra Pradesh, the four-laning will put it at an advantage. It is learnt that railway connectivity to the new ports under development -- Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam and Kakinada Gateway -- is moving at a steady pace.
Vijayawada Division Railway Manager Mohit Sonakiya said, “The works of Kotipalli-Narasapuram have picked up pace. Two of the three bridges under the project have been completed, and another one is nearing completion. Out of the 73 stations rebuilt in the State, 21 are in Vijayawada Division.
Meanwhile, Waltair Divisional Railway Manager Lalith Bohra stated that 10 of the 73 stations sanctioned for development in Andhra Pradesh fall under Visakhapatnam Region, and all works will be completed within the current calendar year.
This year’s railway budget, officials said, underscores continued investment in Andhra Pradesh’s infrastructure and connectivity, positioning the State as a key beneficiary of national railway expansion.