The death of distance: How Vande Bharat, bridges, tunnels and expressways draw Indian cities closer without moving

The impact is particularly visible on routes where rivers, mountains, traffic congestion and ageing railway infrastructure had historically added hours to journeys. Govt data shows that several major infrastructure projects have substantially reduced both travel distances and overall journey times.

India’s expanding network of bridges, tunnels, expressways and high-speed trains is significantly changing how people travel between major cities and remote, difficult-to-reach regions.

The impact is particularly visible on routes where rivers, mountains, traffic congestion and ageing railway infrastructure had historically added hours to journeys. Government data shows that several major infrastructure projects have substantially reduced both travel distances and overall journey times.

Bridges transform connectivity across difficult terrain

The Bhupen Hazarika Setu, also known as the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge, has sharply improved connectivity between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The bridge has brought down the travel time between Rupai in Assam and Meka/Roing in Arunachal Pradesh from about six hours to nearly one hour.

Another major project in Assam, the Bogibeel Bridge, has transformed connectivity between Dhemaji and Dibrugarh. A journey that could earlier take almost an entire day can now be completed in around one to two hours.

In Mumbai, the Atal Setu has brought major improvements in connectivity to Navi Mumbai. The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link has substantially reduced travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The 21.8-km, six-lane bridge includes around 16.5 km constructed over the sea.

Rail connectivity has also benefited from major bridge projects. The Kosi Rail Mahasetu has reduced the journey between Nirmali and Saraigarh from nearly eight hours to just around 30 minutes.

Tunnels shorten journeys through the hills

Tunnels are playing an important role in improving connectivity in mountainous regions by allowing road and rail traffic to bypass difficult terrain and winding routes.

The 9.02-km Atal Tunnel has shortened the Manali-Leh route by around 46 km and saves an estimated four to five hours of travel time.

The Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel has reduced the distance on the Jammu-Srinagar route by around 30 km and cuts travel time by nearly two hours. The Banihal-Qazigund twin-tube tunnel has delivered another reduction of approximately one and a half hours.

Expressways bring down road travel times

India’s expanding expressway network is also reducing journey times between major urban centres.

The Delhi-Meerut Expressway has brought the travel time between Delhi and Meerut down from around two and a half hours to approximately 50 minutes. On the Bengaluru-Mysuru route, travel time has fallen from nearly three hours to about 75 minutes.

The Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor has similarly reduced the journey from more than six hours to around two and a half hours.

Several longer expressway projects are expected to deliver further reductions. The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway is planned to bring the Delhi-Amritsar journey down from around eight hours to four hours. The Delhi-Katra journey is expected to fall from nearly 14 hours to about six hours.

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is being developed with the objective of reducing the road journey between the two cities from around 33 hours to approximately 12 hours. According to a government statement issued in February 2026, the project was scheduled for completion by 2027.

Vande Bharat accelerates inter-city rail travel

Faster trains have added another dimension to India’s efforts to reduce inter-city travel times.

Vande Bharat services have significantly shortened journey times on several routes. The New Delhi-Varanasi service is around 40-50 per cent faster than earlier services on the route, while the Katra-Srinagar service can save between two and three hours.

Other Vande Bharat routes have also recorded substantial time savings. The Banaras-Khajuraho service reduces the journey by around two hours and 40 minutes, while the Ernakulam-Bengaluru service cuts more than two hours from the travel time.

The Vande Bharat Sleeper service between Howrah and Guwahati has also reduced the journey duration from approximately 17 hours to around 14 hours.

Bullet train set to take high-speed travel to another level

India’s next major transformation in inter-city travel is expected to come from high-speed rail.

The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor is being developed with an operational speed of 320 kmph and a design speed of 350 kmph. Once operational, the project is planned to reduce the Mumbai-Ahmedabad journey to around one hour and 58 minutes.

The corridor will have 12 stations and will include an approximately 7-km undersea rail tunnel beneath Thane Creek.

The government has also identified seven high-speed rail corridors covering nearly 4,000 km, with an estimated investment of around ₹16 lakh crore.

The proposed high-speed rail corridors are: Delhi-Varanasi, Varanasi-Patna-Siliguri, Chennai-Bengaluru, Bengaluru-Hyderabad, Chennai-Hyderabad, Mumbai-Pune, and Pune-Hyderabad.

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