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Kashi · काशी

Projects & the new Kashiनई काशी

Beside the old city a new one is being built. Every status here was checked against a source; anything that could not be confirmed is listed as announced.

Status:Under constructionAnnouncedCompleted· Last verified: 7 October 2026

Under construction

Urban ropeway gondola and tower in La Paz, Bolivia (illustrative)Not taken in Varanasi
Under constructionTransport

Varanasi Urban Ropeway (Cantt – Godowlia)

वाराणसी रोपवे (कैंट – गोदौलिया)

India's first urban public-transport ropeway: 3.75 km and five stations from Varanasi Cantt railway station to Godowlia, near the Vishwanath temple, in about 16 minutes. Foundation laid 24 March 2023; trial runs on the Cantt–Rathyatra stretch began in 2025. An official inspection on 28 September 2026 put physical work above 94%; the administration aims to start public operations on 24 November 2026, subject to readiness and not yet officially confirmed.

Agency
National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML) · built by Vishwa Samudra Engineering
Timeline
Foundation 24 March 2023 · Trial runs from 2025 · >94% complete (inspection 28 September 2026) · operations targeted for 24 November 2026 (not confirmed)
Streetlights along the Varanasi Ring Road at night
Under constructionTransport

Varanasi Ring Road

वाराणसी रिंग रोड

A 61 km orbital road in phases: Phase 1 (Harhua–Sandaha) is open; Phase 2 (Rajatalab–Harhua, with a new bridge over the Ganga) opened one carriageway of the bridge in December 2025, leaving the second carriageway to finish. Keeps through-traffic to Lucknow, Prayagraj, Azamgarh and Ghazipur out of the city.

Agency
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Timeline
Phase 1 opened 2018 · Phase 2 substantially open December 2025 · second Ganga-bridge carriageway pending
Terminal of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport
Under constructionTransport

Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport expansion

लाल बहादुर शास्त्री हवाई अड्डा विस्तार

A ₹2,869.65 crore expansion approved by the Union Cabinet in June 2024: a new 75,000 sq m terminal for 6 million passengers a year, runway extension with an under-runway road tunnel, parallel taxiway and apron. Construction is under way; no official opening date has been announced.

Agency
Airports Authority of India (AAI)
Timeline
Cabinet approval June 2024 · Under construction · Opening date not announced
Under constructionInfrastructure

Varanasi International Cricket Stadium, Ganjari

वाराणसी अंतरराष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट स्टेडियम, गंजारी

A 30,000-seat stadium at Ganjari, Rajatalab, designed around Shiva motifs: trishul-shaped floodlights, a damru-shaped canopy, crescent forms. Foundation laid 23 September 2023 at about ₹450 crore. At the District Magistrate's inspection on 16 August 2026 the pavilions and media centre were complete and external works over 80% done, with all construction targeted for 15 October 2026; the opening is expected late in 2026.

Agency
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association; land from Government of Uttar Pradesh
Timeline
Foundation 23 September 2023 · pavilions complete, external works >80% (16 August 2026) · construction targeted for 15 October 2026 · opening expected late 2026

Announced

Varanasi Junction (Cantt) station lit up at night
AnnouncedTransport

Varanasi Cantt (Junction) station redevelopment

वाराणसी कैंट (जंक्शन) स्टेशन पुनर्विकास

The city's main station was listed in 2018 among 90 stations to be rebuilt as 'world-class' hubs, and falls under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme. Facade, concourse and platform works have been reported, but no dated completion or budget could be confirmed from an official source.

Agency
Indian Railways (North Eastern / Northern Railway) · Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
Timeline
Listed for redevelopment 2018 · Amrit Bharat scheme scope · completion date unconfirmed
Paved riverfront at Assi Ghat with a row of historic ghats along the Ganga, Varanasi
AnnouncedTourism

Heritage corridors & 119 parks renovation

विरासत गलियारे व 119 पार्कों का कायाकल्प

Announced in September 2026: two BPCL CSR MoUs worth ₹69.21 crore in all — about ₹48 crore to renovate 119 municipal parks and develop food-street hubs at Sarnath and Maidagin, and about ₹21.21 crore to revitalise heritage corridors in the old city with streetscape and façade work. Both have a 36-month implementation period.

Agency
Varanasi Development Authority (heritage corridors) · KIPRF and Varanasi Smart City (parks) · funded by BPCL CSR
Timeline
MoUs signed September 2026 · 36-month implementation period · work yet to start
The Ganga and the Ramnagar bridge seen from Ramnagar Fort
AnnouncedTransport

Varuna and Ganga elevated corridors (NH-31 / NH-19 to the Ring Road)

वरुणा व गंगा एलिवेटेड कॉरिडोर (NH-31 / NH-19 से रिंग रोड)

Approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2026 to decongest the city: a 43.2 km, 6/4-lane mostly elevated corridor along the Varuna linking NH-31 to the Ring Road (₹10,998 crore), and a 46 km six-lane elevated corridor along the Ganga linking NH-19 to the Ring Road with a cable-stayed bridge (about ₹14,447 crore). About ₹25,445 crore in all, to be built by NHAI under the hybrid annuity model.

Agency
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) · Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
Timeline
Cabinet approval July 2026 · Construction yet to start

Completed

Ganga Dwar, the riverside gateway of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor
CompletedHeritage

Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham (Corridor)

श्री काशी विश्वनाथ धाम

A 5-lakh-square-foot precinct that links the Vishwanath temple to the Ganga at Lalita Ghat — 23 buildings in phase 1, including pilgrim facilitation centres, a Vedic centre, city museum, viewing gallery and food court. Foundation laid 8 March 2019; phase 1 inaugurated 13 December 2021 at a cost of about ₹339 crore.

Agency
Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Board, Government of Uttar Pradesh
Timeline
Foundation 8 March 2019 · Phase 1 inaugurated 13 December 2021
The giant folded-hands sculptures at Namo Ghat
CompletedTourism

Namo Ghat (Khidkiya Ghat redevelopment)

नमो घाट

The old Khidkiya Ghat rebuilt across 81,000 sq m with an open-air theatre, floating jetty and bathing areas, a helipad and step-free access — the first ghat in Varanasi accessible to differently-abled visitors. Inaugurated 15 November 2024.

Agency
Varanasi Smart City Ltd with Indian Oil Foundation
Timeline
Phase 1 opened 2022 · Full inauguration 15 November 2024 · Cost ₹91.06 crore
The river cruise ship MV Ganga Vilas on the Ganga
CompletedTourism

Ganga cruises & cruise terminal

गंगा क्रूज़ व क्रूज़ टर्मिनल

MV Ganga Vilas, the world's longest river cruise, was flagged off from Varanasi on 13 January 2023 for its 51-day run to Dibrugarh. Day cruises (Alaknanda, Gangotri and others) now run from Ravidas Ghat, and the Varanasi Development Authority's PPP Tent City on the far bank operates each October to June.

Agency
Inland Waterways Authority of India · Varanasi Development Authority (Tent City, PPP) · private operators
Timeline
Ganga Vilas flagged off 13 January 2023 · Tent City seasonal since 2023 · new cruise vessels added 2025–26
CompletedCulture

Rudraksh International Cooperation & Convention Centre

रुद्राक्ष अंतरराष्ट्रीय सहयोग एवं सम्मेलन केंद्र

A 1,200-seat convention centre at Sigra built with Japanese grant aid through JICA, its façade studded with 108 rudraksha beads and its roof shaped like a Shiva linga. Inaugurated 15 July 2021; it hosts summits, concerts and the city's larger cultural festivals.

Agency
Government of India with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) grant aid · operated by Varanasi Smart City Ltd
Timeline
Agreement 2015 · Construction 2018–2021 · Inaugurated 15 July 2021
The arched façade of Banaras railway station
CompletedTransport

Banaras railway station (Manduadih)

बनारस रेलवे स्टेशन (मंडुआडीह)

Manduadih was rebuilt by RITES for about ₹118 crore into a modern terminal with an airport-style concourse, completed in 2018, and renamed Banaras (code BSBS) in 2020–21. Further upgrades continue under the Amrit Bharat scheme.

Agency
Indian Railways (North Eastern Railway) · RITES Ltd
Timeline
Modernisation completed 2018 · Renamed Banaras September 2020, effective 2021
Excavated brick monastery ruins at Sarnath
CompletedHeritage

Sarnath redevelopment & UNESCO listing

सारनाथ पुनर्विकास व यूनेस्को सूची

Pedestrian-friendly streets, new sewers and drainage, and organised vending zones around the Buddhist site were inaugurated by the Prime Minister; food-street hubs at Sarnath and Maidagin followed. On 25 July 2026 the 'Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath' was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, India's 45th, and construction within 100 m of the heritage zone is now barred.

Agency
Uttar Pradesh Tourism · Varanasi Smart City Ltd · Archaeological Survey of India · Varanasi Development Authority
Timeline
Tourism works inaugurated 2024–25 · UNESCO inscription 25 July 2026 · heritage-zone building checks from September 2026
Name board of the Kasi Tamil Sangamam Express between Kanniyakumari and Banaras
CompletedCulture

Kashi Tamil Sangamam

काशी तमिल संगमम

An annual festival of Tamil–Kashi ties: delegations from Tamil Nadu, exhibitions, music, food and academic exchange between IIT Madras and BHU. The fourth edition ran 2–15 December 2025 on the theme 'Learn Tamil'.

Agency
Ministry of Education, Government of India · IIT Madras · Banaras Hindu University
Timeline
First edition November 2022 · Fourth edition 2–15 December 2025 · next edition expected December 2026