The proposed Delhi-Varanasi high-speed rail corridor via Ayodhya, to be built in 2026-30, will cost ₹1,71,000 crore, according to estimates in the draft national rail plan document.

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) has already started the initial studies by using laser-technology for this corridor to speed up the detailed project report study.

The HSR corridors to which the draft proposes fund allotment till 2031 include: the 855-km stretch between Delhi and Varanasi via Ayodhya; Varanasi to Patna (250 km at a cost of ₹50,000 crore), Patna to Kolkata (530 km, ₹1.06 lakh crore) and Delhi-Ahmedabad via Udaipur (886 km, ₹1.77 lakh crore). Overall, between 2026 and 2031, investment in 2,521 km of HSR with a cost of ₹5.04 lakh crore is proposed.

The proposed corridors are more-or-less same as those that are part of the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP). In addition, the National Rail Pipeline has proposed certain extensions or new for enhancing HSR outreach and providing connectivity to other towns, according to the draft. For instance, Delhi-Agra-Kanpur-Lucknow-Varanasi HSR corridor is recommended to route via Ayodhya due to religious tourism potential, although a final word on this is awaited.

Between 2031 and 2041, projects proposed to be taken up are: Hyderabad to Bangalore (618 km, ₹1.23 lakh crore); Nagpur to Varanasi (855 km, ₹1.71 lakh crore). These are a total of 1,473 km HSR lines involving a cost of ₹2.94 lakh crore.

Between 2041-51, the HSR projects proposed to be taken up are: Mumbai to Nagpur (789 km, ₹1.57 lakh crore); Mumbai to Hyderabad (709 km, ₹1.41 lakh crore); Patna to Guwahati (850 km; ₹1.7 lakh crore); Delhi to Amritsar via Chandigarh (485 km, ₹97,000 crore); Amritsar - Pathankot - Jammu (190 km, ₹38,000 crore) and Chennai to Mysuru via Bangalore (462 km, ₹92,400 crore). These are a total of 3,485 km of HSR with a cost of ₹6.97 lakh crore.

Among extensions proposed, Delhi-Chandigarh- Ludhiana-Jalandhar- Amritsar HSR Corridor is recommended to be extended to Jammu via Pathankot for enhancing regional connectivity and for giving economic boost to the Jammu and Pathankot region. It will cater to the religious tourism potential of Vaishno Devi Shrine and other places.

The draft NRP has allocated the largest chunk (40 per cent) of overall rail investment amount of₹38.2 lakh crore till 2050 to high-speed rail (HSR) projects. The draft will be finalised after receiving comments from various Ministries.