Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced a record allocation of Rs 173.66 billion (bn) for rail infrastructure development in Gujarat for fiscal 2026-27. He made the announcement at the Gujarat Semiconnect Conference 2026 and said it represents the highest state allocation to date. The funding is intended to accelerate modernisation and expansion of the state railway network.

The minister contrasted the allocation with the amount provided during the UPA regime between 2009 and 2014, when Rs 589 crore was provided, equivalent to Rs 5,890 million (mn). He said the government had increased the budget manifold, enabling rapid advancement of key projects across the state. Work is underway on railway projects totalling Rs 1,280 billion (bn) in Gujarat.

A total of 87 stations have been selected for upgrade under the Amrit Station Scheme and work on 21 stations has been completed, with progress at Ahmedabad, Sabarmati, Surat, Una and Somnath. The minister indicated that renovation of Ahmedabad Railway Station will deliver world-class facilities for passengers and that the projects are proceeding at pace. The acceleration of these works has been attributed to cooperation from state authorities.

The minister said the Central Government is preparing to make the country's first high speed bullet train operational next year and that the Ahmedabad to Mumbai journey will take one hour 57 minutes at a speed of 350 km/hr. He added that senior officials from Japan's Prime Minister's Office had reviewed progress and expressed satisfaction and that the Prime Minister had approved seven new routes for future connectivity. The minister framed the investments as creating opportunities for the youth and students and noted a two million shortfall that must be filled to generate employment in the semiconductor sector. The measures are presented as setting the state on a path to unparalleled modernisation of its railway infrastructure.