Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Conducts Breakthrough of 5-km-long Bullet Train Tunnel in Maharashtra's Thane

Mumbai, Maharashtra: In a significant development in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday initiated the breakthrough of a five-kilometer-long tunnel in Thane near Mumbai.

Vaishnaw stood at one of the tunnel's openings, pressed a button, and triggered a controlled dynamite blast to break through its final layer, completing five kilometers of excavation.

Briefing mediapersons at the site, Vaishnaw called it a "landmark achievement" and reiterated that the 50-kilometer-long first section between Surat and Billimora will be completed by December 2027.

Vaishnaw also met workers after the breakthrough event of the N2TA and N3TM sections of the tunnel, congratulating them for the breakthrough achieved using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM).

The Union Minister was seen shaking hands with the workers as they held national flags and celebrated the breakthrough.

"Today, an important milestone has been achieved in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. An undersea tunnel is being constructed beneath the creek between Mumbai and Thane," Minister Vaishnaw told ANI.

He added that a Japanese team visited the site on Friday, and over 320 kilometers of viaducts, or the bridge portion, have been completed.

"This is a very important milestone for the entire project. Yesterday, a team from Japan visited and reviewed the entire project. Approximately 320 kilometers of viaducts, or the bridge portion, have been completed. The bridges being built over rivers are also being completed at a rapid pace. The Sabarmati terminal is nearly complete," he said.

According to the minister, the bullet train project will reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad from seven hours to just two hours, with other major cities like Thane, Vapi, Surat, Vadodara, and Anand also experiencing economic growth.

The Minister further stated that the plan is to operate trains every half hour during peak morning and evening hours, with the potential for trains every ten minutes during peak periods.

"This means that if you want to travel from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, the need for pre-reserving tickets will be eliminated. Simply arrive at the station, catch a train within ten minutes, and reach your destination in two hours. This will create a new approach to the entire service," Vaishnaw said.

In a significant milestone for the ambitious undersea tunnel project between Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata, the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) has successfully achieved a breakthrough for its five-kilometer tunnel stretch.

This critical section, spanning 4.881 kilometers, includes a challenging 1.7-kilometer segment beneath Thane Creek. Tunneling commenced in May 2024, and on July 9, engineers celebrated the first breakthrough for a continuous 2.7-kilometer section, connecting the ADIT to the Savali shaft.

With this achievement, excavation is now complete between the Savali shaft and the tunnel portal at Shilphata, paving the way for the tunnel's integration with the viaduct segment of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project. To accelerate the process, an Additional Driven Intermediate Tunnel (ADIT) was constructed, enabling simultaneous excavation from both Ghansoli and Shilphata sides.