New tunnel is being built on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Rail project

28 May 2024 CW Team

With simultaneous access to the new terminal, which is 3.3 km long and 26 m deep, a 1.6 m (about) tunnel may be built on either side. The bullet train project's special purpose corporation, National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), released a statement stating that the main 21-km tunnel will be finished in 5 km by the New Austrian Tunnelling Method and 16 km by tunnel boring machines. Excavation for the intermediate tunnel began on December 6, 2023, and has taken six months to complete the 394-m length. Because of its length, the intermediate tunnel may be used as a direct transport route to the main tunnel while it is being built and operated. It can also be used for evacuation protocols in case of an emergency. The 21-km track between Mumbai Bullet Train Station and Shilphata, Maharashtra, is rapidly being built. For about seven kilometres, this tunnel will run beneath Thane Creek in an intertidal zone.

USP of the tunnel: This is the first tunnel of its sort built in India. The top and bottom railroads will each have two tracks in the 21-km single tube tunnel. 16 km of the tunnel are now being built at BKC, Vikhroli, and Savli using tunnel boring machines. The bullet train will be within the tunnel and be able to travel at 320 km/h.

According to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in March of this year, the much-awaited bullet train project is slated to be finished by 2026, with services between Surat and Bilimora commencing first.

Project timeline for the bullet train

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train line project has been slowly moving forward since construction began in November 2021. The project was first delayed due to problems obtaining land. The project was formally launched in Ahmedabad on September 14, 2017, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

NHSRCL was founded on February 12, 2016, in compliance with the Companies Act of 2013, with the objective of financing, constructing, managing, and overseeing the High-Speed Rail Corridor in India. the Maharashtra and Gujarati governments, together with the two state governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra, which have been modelled as "Special Purpose Vehicles" in the joint sector.

The current Mumbai - Ahmedabad bullet train project has been accelerated with the construction of an extra 394-m intermediate tunnel at Ghansoli in Mumbai. This new intermediate tunnel, which is adjacent to the Thane Creek, will aid in expediting the 21-km major tunnel project between BKC and Shilphata. With simultaneous access to the new terminal, which is 3.3 km long and 26 m deep, a 1.6 m (about) tunnel may be built on either side. The bullet train project's special purpose corporation, National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), released a statement stating that the main 21-km tunnel will be finished in 5 km by the New Austrian Tunnelling Method and 16 km by tunnel boring machines. Excavation for the intermediate tunnel began on December 6, 2023, and has taken six months to complete the 394-m length. Because of its length, the intermediate tunnel may be used as a direct transport route to the main tunnel while it is being built and operated. It can also be used for evacuation protocols in case of an emergency. The 21-km track between Mumbai Bullet Train Station and Shilphata, Maharashtra, is rapidly being built. For about seven kilometres, this tunnel will run beneath Thane Creek in an intertidal zone. USP of the tunnel: This is the first tunnel of its sort built in India. The top and bottom railroads will each have two tracks in the 21-km single tube tunnel. 16 km of the tunnel are now being built at BKC, Vikhroli, and Savli using tunnel boring machines. The bullet train will be within the tunnel and be able to travel at 320 km/h. According to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in March of this year, the much-awaited bullet train project is slated to be finished by 2026, with services between Surat and Bilimora commencing first. Project timeline for the bullet train The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train line project has been slowly moving forward since construction began in November 2021. The project was first delayed due to problems obtaining land. The project was formally launched in Ahmedabad on September 14, 2017, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. NHSRCL was founded on February 12, 2016, in compliance with the Companies Act of 2013, with the objective of financing, constructing, managing, and overseeing the High-Speed Rail Corridor in India. the Maharashtra and Gujarati governments, together with the two state governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra, which have been modelled as Special Purpose Vehicles in the joint sector.

Infrastructure Transport

15 Sep 2025

Cabinet Approves Key Highway and Rail Projects in Bihar Region

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the four-laning of the 84.2-km Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur high-speed corridor, a key industrial region in poll-bound Bihar. The Cabinet also sanctioned the doubling of the 177-km Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat railway line, which passes through Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, at a cost of Rs 31.7 billion.The Rs 44.5 billion highway project will be constructed under the hybrid annuity model, a variant of public-private partnership. The Mokama-Munger stretch was the only remaining two-lane section of the 363-km Buxar-Bhagalpur corridor. Fou..

Infrastructure Transport

15 Sep 2025

NGT Issues Notice on Bengaluru Twin Tunnel Project

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday issued notices in response to a petition filed by Bengaluru Praja Vedike and others, challenging the Bengaluru twin tunnel road project. Petitioners claim the project was “hastily announced” and bypassed mandatory environmental impact assessment procedures.Notices have been served to the Karnataka Government, Greater Bengaluru Authority, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and project consultants.The 16.74-km twin-tube..

Real Estate

15 Sep 2025

India’s Residential Sales to Dip Slightly in FY26

Residential sales in India’s seven major cities are projected to decline by up to 3 per cent year-on-year in FY26 to 620–640 million square feet (msf), amid a moderation in sales velocity, according to ratings agency Icra.In FY25, sales stood at 643 msf, down 8 per cent YoY, following a sharp contraction in new launches and moderated demand in the affordable and mid-income segments. This slowdown came after the sector posted a robust compound annual growth rate of 26 per cent in area sales between FY22 and FY24.Icra noted: “Having seen a strong upcycle, the sector entered an equilibrium ..