Saving Time, Shortening Journeys

PIB Backgrounder Saving Time, Shortening Journeys How India’s Infrastructure Is Bringing Places Closer

Posted On: 05 OCT 2026 12:37PM by PIB Delhi Connectivity Measured in Hours Saved For millions of travellers, better connectivity is measured in hours saved, not only in kilometres built. Across India, new bridges, tunnels, expressways and rail services are changing the time it takes to travel between cities, regions and communities. By replacing detours, difficult terrain and slow routes with direct and faster connections, these projects are making infrastructure-led transformation visible in everyday travel. As faster links reach more parts of the country, distance is becoming less of a constraint on everyday mobility.

Bridges: Crossing Barriers, Cutting Travel Time Bridges are removing long and slow river crossings from everyday travel and turning journeys that once took hours into much shorter trips.

Bhupen Hazarika Setu/ Dhola–Sadiya Bridge, Assam–Arunachal Pradesh ( May,

2017) 6 hours → 1 hour Travel time between Rupai in Assam and Meka/Roing in Arunachal Pradesh has fallen from six hours to one hour, saving five hours.

Bogibeel Bridge, Assam (December, 2018) A day-long journey → 1–2 hoursThe rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra has transformed connectivity between Dhemaji and Dibrugarh. Journeys that earlier took almost an entire day now take about one to two hours.

Atal Setu, Maharashtra (January, 2024) 2 hours → 20 minutes The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link provides a direct connection between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, cutting the journey to about 20 minutes.

Kosi Rail Mahasetu, Bihar (September, 2020) 8 hours → 30 minutes The Kosi Rail Mahasetu reduced the rail journey between Nirmali and Saraigarh from about eight hours to 30 minutes, while reducing the distance from about 300 km to 22 km.

Sisseri River Bridge, Arunachal Pradesh (November, 2019) About 5 hours saved The 200-metre Sisseri River Bridge reduced the travel time between Pasighat and Roing by about five hours, strengthening connectivity between Dibang Valley and Siang.

Tunnels: Cutting Through Terrain, Saving Hours Tunnels are taking the shortest route through some of India’s most difficult terrain.

Bypassing mountains, winding roads and vulnerable stretches, they are bringing down travel times while making journeys seamless.

Atal Tunnel, Himachal Pradesh (October, 2020) 4–5 hours saved The 9.02-km tunnel bypasses Rohtang Pass and reduces the Manali–Sarchu distance by 46 km, providing all-weather connectivity to Lahaul-Spiti.

Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel, Jammu & Kashmir (April, 2017) Nearly 2 hours saved The 9-km tunnel bypasses difficult terrain, cuts the travel distance by about 30 km and reduces travel time between Jammu and Srinagar by nearly two hours.Banihal–Qazigund Road Tunnel, Jammu & Kashmir (April, 2022) ~1.5 hours saved The 8.45-km twin-tube tunnel cuts the road distance by 16 km and reduces journey time by around one and a half hours.

Sela Tunnel, Arunachal Pradesh (March, 2024) Travel time cut by over 1 hour Built at an altitude of about 13,000 feet, the tunnel ensures all-weather connectivity on the strategically important Tezpur-Tawang route.

Expressways & Economic Corridors Expressways are changing the pace of inter-city travel through shorter alignments, controlled access and higher speeds. Long journeys that once consumed several hours are being compressed into significantly faster road trips.

Delhi–Meerut Expressway (2021)

2.5 hours → 50 minutes The 82-km project reduced travel time between Delhi and Meerut from around two and a half hours to about 50 minutes.

Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway (March, 2023) 3 hours → 75 minutes The 118-km expressway has reduced travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from nearly three hours to about 75 minutes.

Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor (April, 2026) 6 hours → 2.5 hours The 213-km access-controlled corridor reduces travel time between Delhi and Dehradun from over six hours to around two and a half hours.

Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg (December, 2022) 16 hours → ~8 hours The 701-km access-controlled expressway has substantially reduced travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur.

Ahmedabad–Dholera Expressway (March, 2026) Ahmedabad- Dholera: from 100 km & 2 hr 15 min → 83 km & 45 min

Ahmedabad to Bhavnagar: from 169 km & 3 hr 15 min → 141 km & 1 hr 45 min The access-controlled greenfield expressway stretching over 109 km provides a high-speed link between Ahmedabad and Dholera.

Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway (Phase-I- July, 2026)Delhi–Amritsar: 8 hours → 4 hours Delhi–Katra: 14 hours → 6 hours The expressway is being developed to boost pilgrim and tourist traffic to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, and catalyse industrial and logistics development along the corridor.

Delhi–Mumbai Expressway 33 hours → ~12 hours The greenfield expressway is being developed to reduce travel time between Delhi and Mumbai to about 12 hours from roughly 33 hours.

Railways: Faster Trains, Shorter Journeys New-generation trains and dedicated high-speed corridors are bringing major time savings to rail travel. The 2026 railway timetable reflects this shift, with 549 trains speeded up across the network. Of these, 20 trains became faster by 60 minutes or more. Another 48 trains gained 31–59 minutes, while 105 trains gained 16–30 minutes. The remaining 376 trains were speeded up by 5–15 minutes.

New Generation TrainsVande Bharat Express, New Delhi–Varanasi (February, 2019) 40–50% faster than earlier services India's first Vande Bharat was launched on 15 February 2019 on the New Delhi– Kanpur–Prayagraj–Varanasi corridor. The scheduled travel time between New Delhi and Varanasi is approximately eight hours, making it around 40-50% faster than earlier services on the route.

Vande Bharat Express, Katra–Srinagar (June, 2025) 2–3 hours saved The train cut Katra–Srinagar travel to about three hours. The extended Jammu– Srinagar service now covers the journey in 4 hours 50 minutes.

Vande Bharat Express, Banaras–Khajuraho (November, 2025) ~2 hours 40 minutes saved The train saves about 2 hours 40 minutes compared with the special trains earlier in operation.

Vande Bharat Express, Ernakulam–Bengaluru (November, 2025) Over 2 hours saved The service covers the journey in 8 hours 40 minutes, reducing travel time by over two hours.

Vande Bharat Express, Lucknow–Saharanpur (November, 2025) Nearly 1 hour saved The train completes the journey in approximately 7 hours 45 minutes.

Vande Bharat Sleeper, Howrah–Guwahati (January, 2026) ~17 hours → ~14 hours India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper saves nearly three hours over the Saraighat Express. It has 16 air-conditioned coaches for around 823 passengers.

High-Speed Rail CorridorsMumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor 8–9 hours by road → ~1 hour 58 minutes The 508-km corridor, with an operational speed of 320 kmph, will serve 12 stations. It includes India's first undersea rail tunnel, about 7 km beneath Thane Creek. The first service is targeted for August 2027.

Seven Announced High-Speed Rail (HSR) Corridors Major city pairs within about 1–4 hours Announced in the Union Budget 2026–27, the corridors span nearly 4,000 km with an estimated investment of ₹16 lakh crore.

Corridor Indicative travel time Delhi–Varanasi ~3 hours 50 minutes Varanasi–Patna–Siliguri ~2 hours 55 minutes Chennai–Bengaluru ~1 hour 13 minutes Bengaluru–Hyderabad ~2 hours Chennai–Hyderabad ~2 hours 55 minutes Mumbai–Pune ~48 minutes Pune–Hyderabad ~1 hour 55 minutes Hours Returned to Travellers and Communities The transformation of India’s transport network is changing how people and regions connect with one another. Bridges and tunnels are opening new crossings while expressways and modern rail services are redefining long-distance travel. Together, these interventions are making mobility more seamless and expanding access across regions.

References Ministry of Road Transport & Highways:

https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?lang=2&reg=48&relid=175085

https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/Final_Policy%20Documents_Englis h%20_06.10.2021.pdf

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1892218&lang=2&reg=48

Ministry of Railways:https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2256632&reg=3&lang=1

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2214695&reg=48&lang=2 Prime Minister’s Office:

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2081705&lang=2&reg=48

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1819193&reg=48&lang= 2

https://www.pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1906087&lang=2&reg=48

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2285034&lang=2&reg=48

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2256632&reg=3&lang=1

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2187690&reg=48&lang=2

Press Information Bureau:

https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2026/Mar/M20260301

1.pdf

https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2026/jan/doc202611

4756701.pdf

https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?relid=160240&reg=48&lang=2

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2273017&lang=2&reg=48

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2215265&reg=48&lang=2

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2272190&lang=1&reg=48

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2226302&reg=3&lang=1

https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2025/jun/doc202564

562401.pdf

Ministry of Finance:

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2224587&lang=2&reg=48

Ministry of Defence:

https://www.pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1591755&reg=48&lang=2

https://www.pib.gov.in/pressreleaseshare.aspx?prid=1563660&reg=48&lang=2

Government of Maharashtra:

https://industry.maharashtra.gov.in/sites/default/files/2025-09/maharashtra-logistics- policy-2024-english_0.pdf

https://mmrda.maharashtra.gov.in/sites/default/files/2022-03/news-14012022.pdf Click to see pdf *** PIB Research (Release ID: 2319049)Visitor Counter : 983

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