The first of four-giant tunnel-boring machines for the Thane–Borivali twin road tunnel is now being assembled on site at Old Dairy Farm. Nicknamed ‘Nayak’, the 13.2-metre Herrenknecht shield will drive the 10.25-kilometre twin tubes beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park, cutting the present 23-kilometre surface trip by 12 kilometres.

Awarded to Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Ltd, the scheme provides two traffic lanes and an emergency lane in each tube, plus cross passages every 300 metres. Once open, the route is expected to carry about fifty-thousand passenger-car units daily, easing chronic congestion on Ghodbunder Road.

Designed for Mumbai’s mixed geology, Nayak features a customised hard-rock cutter head, real-time guidance, dust suppression and low-noise systems to protect the park environment. Automated spoil removal and safety modules reduce manual work and enhance operational security.

Herrenknecht’s Chennai plant is fabricating key components, with final assembly due within two months. Groundworks and piling are advancing in parallel so that tunnelling can start later this year and finish by December 2026.