High-Speed Hustle: Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Picks Up Steam

The bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is traveling at top speed in Maharashtra, with key engineering milestones being marked between stations, tunnels, and viaducts. Led by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), the 508-km corridor is India's maiden high-speed rail corridor and is becoming a wonder of modern infrastructure.

PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS

80% of the excavation work carried out at Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) station, the only underground station on the stretch

Base slab pouring underway 100 feet subgrade at BKC

Vikhroli and Sawli shafts were finished at a depth of 56m and 39m respectively

44 km of pier cast across Maharashtra, enabling construction of elevated tracks

TUNNELS & TECHNOLOGY

A 21-km underground and underwater tunnel is being built from BKC to Shilphata

16 km of the tunnel is dug by Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs)

5 km is being excavated utilizing the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM).

The 7-km underwater section of the tunnel beneath Thane Creek is India's first of its kind

STATION STATUS CHECK

High-level stations at Thane, Virar, and Boisar are progressing rapidly.

First casts of Virar and Boisar stations have been successfully cast

Metro Line 2B and 3 integration mooted at BKC for seamless connectivity

ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENTS IN PALGHAR

Construction of seven mountain tunnels in progress

Construction of viaducts commenced with full-span box girder technology

Bridges being constructed over Vaitarna, Ulhas, and Jagani rivers

FUNDING & FUTURE OUTLOOK

Project cost: Rs 1.08 lakh crore

Financing ratio: Rs 10,000 crore from the Centre, Rs 5,000 crore each from Maharashtra and Gujarat, balance through a 0.1% rate of interest Japanese loan

It is expected to cut down the time taken to travel from Ahmedabad to Mumbai to under 3 hours

SOURCE LiveMint, ThePrint, MSN India, Free Press Journal, News18, Swarajya Magazine, The Metro Rail Guy