Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a one-day visit to Gujarat and Maharashtra has provided a new impetus to the logistics, infrastructure and financial technology (Fintech) ecosystem of Western India. PM Modi inaugurated, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of important infrastructure projects costing over ₹35,000 crore at a grand ceremony held in Vadodara, Gujarat. The second major stop of this tour is the country's financial capital Mumbai, where in the evening the Prime Minister will formally inaugurate the seventh edition of the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026, one of the world's most prestigious financial conferences. This dual tour, on one hand, will take the country's freight capacity and infrastructure to the global level, while on the other hand, it will showcase India's digital payments and fintech prowess to the world. ₹20,700 crore Western Freight Corridor: Network 100% complete The highlight of the event in Vadodara was the inauguration of three important sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC): 326 km of new track: New Sanand (North)-New Makarpura, New Umbergaon-New Saphale and New Saphale-New JNPT, built at a cost of more than ₹20,700 crore. (JNPT) section inaugurated. Direct connectivity with JNPT Port: With the commencement of these sections, the country's vast freight corridor network is directly connected to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) of Mumbai. This will reduce the time taken to transport export-import (EXIM) cargo by half and will significantly reduce logistics costs. Pressure on Mumbai local will reduce: With the full activation of this new freight corridor, the burden of freight trains will be removed from Mumbai's passenger rail lines, which will improve the speed and punctuality of local trains. Green signal to goods trains and new passenger trains: Prime Minister flagged off new goods trains from New Sanand, New Makarpura, New Umbergaon and New JNPT. Also, a new passenger train was flagged off between Vadodara (Pratapnagar) to Tanda Road, connecting the tribal dominated Alirajpur area to the main rail network. Railways and Highways get new projects worth more than ₹ 11,480 crore Prime Minister laid the foundation of several big projects to speed up connectivity: Railway Projects (₹ 9,700 crore+): The foundation stone of three major rail projects spread over 329 km was laid, including Vadodara-Ratlam 3rd and 4th railway lines, Miyagam Karjan-Choranda-Malsar gauge conversion and Vishwamitri-Dabhoi Doubling Project. Are included. These projects will facilitate connectivity between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Highway Projects (₹1,780 crore): Six-laning of Kamrej-Chalthan section of NH-48, construction of additional bridges over Tapi and Narmada rivers on Vadodara-Surat section and foundation stone for grade-separated structures at major junctions of NH-53 was laid. Along with this, two new six-lane flyovers at Kandari Chokadi and Luwara Patiya were dedicated to the public. State government projects (₹2,600 crore): 110 MW floating solar project on Kadana Dam, foundation stone laying of Vadodara Urban Development Authority Ring Road (Phase-2) and inauguration of new houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Grand inauguration of 'Global Fintech Fest 2026' in Mumbai After the programs in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Jio World Center in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai at 5:45 pm, where he inaugurated the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026. Four-day Mahakumbh (8 to 11 September): The conclave is one of the world's largest fintech events, bringing together policymakers, central bank governors, regulators, fintech founders and global investors from over 100 countries. Theme of GFF 2026: The main theme of this year’s conference is—“Potential to Impact: Agentic AI, Tokenisation, Quantum – Trusted, Connected, Global Systems for Inclusive Finance”. Which technologies will be the focus? The conference will especially feature a global discussion on prevention of financial fraud through Agentic AI, Tokenisation of financial assets and Quantum Safe Cryptography. India will also share its roadmap to interconnect the success of UPI and Open Banking globally. A new era of economic growth and logistics revolution. This visit of the Prime Minister has given new strength to the infrastructure and financial synergy between the two economic engines of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The completion of the dedicated freight corridor from Vadodara to JNPT is being considered a historic milestone towards making the country a 5 trillion dollar economy. At the same time, the message given from Mumbai to the fintech world will further strengthen India as the center of global digital finance. Region/State Project Type Cost/Description Gujarat (WDFC) New Sanand to New JNPT Freight Corridor ₹20,700 crore+ (326 km track dedicated to the nation) Gujarat (Railways) Vadodara-Ratlam 3rd/4th line and other extensions ₹9,700 crore+ (Foundation stone of 329 km rail network) Gujarat (Highways) NH-48 and NH-53 six-laning and flyovers Road infrastructure works worth ₹1,780 crore Gujarat (Local Development) Floating Solar (Kadana Dam), Ring Road Phase-2 ₹2,600 crore (Various state government schemes) Maharashtra (Mumbai) Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026 8-11 September, Jio World Center (Agent AI and Quantum Finance)
