Continuous efforts are being made to make rail travel easier in the country. Meanwhile, there is big news for the passengers. The construction of the tunnel of India’s first bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is going to start soon. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav will begin the excavation work of the underground tunnel from Vikhroli to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) station in Mumbai on Sunday (July 5).
‘Tunnel Boring Machines’ (TBMs) are being used for the first time for the country’s first bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. This will be a total 20.37 kilometer long tunnel and 7 kilometers of it will pass through the sea.
7 kilometer long stretch under the sea
For this project, two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) specially manufactured in Germany were imported from China via sea route in March 2026. These TBMs are owned by the company ‘Afcons Infrastructure Limited’. This company is constructing a total tunnel of 20.37 kilometers long. In which a 7 kilometer long portion will be built under the sea. This tunnel will be built at a depth of about 65 meters from ground level.
The tunnel will connect Bandra Kurla Complex and Shilphata
This tunnel will connect Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata. Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) will excavate 15.4 km portion of this tunnel, while the remaining portion has already been prepared through blasting. One machine will handle the excavation of the 5.8 kilometer portion, while the other machine will work on the longer portion, which also includes the part under the sea.
Railway Minister will start the operation of TBM
An official of the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said that the Railway Minister will start the operation of the TBM by pressing a button. This machine has been deployed at a depth of 56.6 meters from ground level in Vikhroli. According to officials, the first TBM will start digging the tunnel from Vikhroli towards BKC station, which will cover a distance of about 5.8 kilometers.
The spare parts of the second TBM are currently being assembled in Savli and it is expected to be ready within a week. This machine will excavate a 9.7 km long stretch from Savli to Vikhroli, which also includes a 7 km long undersea section. Both these machines have the capacity to dig about 300 meters of tunnel every month.
Bullet trains will run at a speed of 320 kilometers per hour
The official said that out of the total length, 15.4 km stretch between BKC and Savli will be excavated using TBM. The remaining 4.8 km stretch from Savli to Shilphata has already been completed using the ‘drill-and-blast’ method. After the completion of the work, bullet trains will run at a speed of 320 kilometers per hour, making travel between cities very fast and easy.
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