Hyderabad to emerge as railway hub with Kavach centre: Kishan Reddy

Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy said Hyderabad would emerge as a railway hub with the establishment of a Kavach research centre and three high-speed rail corridors, adding that rail projects worth over Rs. 47,000 crore were underway in Telangana

Hyderabad: Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday said Hyderabad would emerge as a railway hub in the country with the establishment of a centre for the ‘Kavach’ automatic train protection system and the high-speed rail corridors announced in the 2026–27 Union Budget.

Speaking to reporters here, he said railway development works worth over Rs. 47,000 crore were underway in Telangana, while renovation works at more than 30 railway stations would be completed by 2026.

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Of the total 1,242 km railway network in the State, 627 km has already been covered under the ‘Kavach’ system, he said, adding that a research centre for Kavach has been set up in Hyderabad.

Of the seven high-speed rail corridors announced in the Budget, three would be centred in Hyderabad.

The Hyderabad–Pune, Hyderabad–Bengaluru and Hyderabad–Chennai high-speed corridors would originate from the Telangana capital, he said.

“Hyderabad and Telangana are already emerging as hubs for several sectors. With the Kavach centre and high-speed rail corridors, Hyderabad will also become a major railway hub in the country,” he said.

The city is already a hub for the pharmaceutical, vaccine, defence and IT sectors, Reddy added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to perform the bhumi puja soon for the third phase of the Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS), which will connect Hyderabad with the temple town of Yadagirigutta, he said.

Telangana has so far been allocated five Vande Bharat and two Amrit Bharat trains, the Union Minister said.

Kishan Reddy further said the Union Budget for 2026–27 would benefit all sections of society and marked a significant step towards achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

The Budget has increased the allocation for the rural employment scheme MGNREGS from Rs. 88,000 crore to Rs. 96,000 crore, he said, alleging that the Congress was spreading misinformation that the scheme was being weakened.

Stating that many countries across the world were facing economic crises, Reddy said India’s economy was making rapid progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Union Budget laid a strong foundation for the country’s long-term development and infrastructure growth rather than short-term interests, he added.