On January 16, Karnataka’s Minister for Commerce, Industries, and Infrastructure, MB Patil, indicated support for a high-speed rail route linking Bengaluru, the IT center, to Mumbai, the financial capital.

In response to Moneycontrol’s story on the Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru high-speed rail route, Patil said on X, “This is a beneficial initiative. Similarly, a high-speed rail project from Mumbai to Bengaluru would improve the connection between North Karnataka and Bengaluru. This would create a High GDP Quad that connects Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai.“

No luxury trains are running between Bengaluru and Mumbai, such as the Vande Bharat and Duronto. The Udyan Express is the only daily train that runs directly between these two cities. The Udyan Express travels around 1,134 kilometers, going through 33 stops, and takes about 22 hours at an average speed of 52 mph. The distance between Bengaluru and Mumbai is around 984 km, and the travel takes 15-17 hours by road.

Sajjan Raj Mehta, a trade campaigner, said, “Railways should launch a premium overnight train with a trip period of 10-12 hours. This will enhance both tourist and business travel. The Bengaluru-Mumbai route demands the quickest train for a pleasant ride.

According to National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHS authorities), the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project is the only sanctioned project in the nation that is being developed with technical and financial help from the Japanese government.

However, studies and the creation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for seven High-Speed Rail lines have been identified: Delhi-Varanasi, Delhi-Ahmedabad, Mumbai-Nagpur, Mumbai-Hyderabad, Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru, Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar, and Varanasi-Howrah.

While Bengaluru-Mumbai is not included in the plan, the Centre’s National Train Plan (NRP) proposes extending the Mumbai-Hyderabad high-speed train track from Hyderabad to Bengaluru.

Two future big projects will be unveiled in 2024.

Noida International Airport

The Noida International Airport, set to open by the end of 2024, is being built by Yamuna International Airport Private Ltd (YIAPL), a special purpose corporation founded by concessionaire Swiss business Zurich International AG.

The project is anticipated to cost Rs 15,754 crore, with four building stages. The anticipated cost of Phase 1 is Rs 5,730 crore.

So far, around 80 percent of the airport’s runway has been finished, while construction on the eight-story air traffic control building is approaching completion.

Once finished, Phase 1 of the airport will serve 12 million people annually, increasing to 70 million by Phase 4. The first phase will have one 3,900-metre runway with a capacity for 28 aircraft stands and 100,000 air traffic movements per year.

The greenfield airport, which spans 1,334 hectares, is situated in the Jewar region of Gautam Buddh Nagar district in western Uttar Pradesh, about 75 kilometers from Delhi.

When operational, it will be the second international commercial airport in the National Capital Region (NCR). A passenger terminal spanning 100,000 square meters will also be built.

According to predictions, Jewar Airport will service 65 lakh people (per year) in 2024-25, with a projected growth to 7 crore passengers per year by 2042-43.

Once its development is completed and its six intended runways are operational, it is anticipated to be one of India’s largest airports.

Navi Mumbai International Airport

The under-construction Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), designed to meet rising air traffic demand, will open in 2024.

Adani Airports Holdings Ltd will build and operate the airport.

Adani Enterprises operates its airport operations via Adani Airport Holdings, which has the authority to run six airports: Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram, as well as Mumbai and the greenfield Navi Mumbai International Airport.

The NMIA is located in the heart of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) in Ulwe in Navi Mumbai and spans 1,160 hectares.

The total cost of the project is Rs 16,700 crore, and the airport would be able to handle 2.5 million tons of cargo by 2032.

The Navi Mumbai International Airport project is being constructed in stages and will have a total capacity of 60 million passengers per year and 800,000 tons of cargo handling capability.