From Blueprint to Breakthrough: Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Tunnels Toward Tomorrow

Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project reached a milestone when the first breakthrough in the ambitious 21-kilometre BKC-Shilphata tunnel was made on July 9, 2025. It's a massive milestone for India's first bullet train corridor that is all about revolutionizing the way people travel between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

 

Key Highlights

 

First Tunnel Breakthrough:

A record 2.7-kilometre stretch of the 21-km tunnel was continuously driven using the state-of-the-art New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM).

 

Engineering Marvel:

The tunnel has an underwater portion of 7-km long under Thane Creek, the nation's first underwater tunnel.

 

Construction Techniques:

Current Progress:

Safety First

Comprehensive safety measures such as settlement markers on the ground surface, piezometers, inclinometers, strain gauges, and biometric access controls have been employed to ensure tunnelling in a safe manner without compromising surrounding infrastructure or ecosystems.

 

Waiting TBMs While shafts and launch equipment are being commissioned, TBMs required for the remaining 16 km are yet to come.

 

Project Significance:

The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor will connect the two cities at the rate of 320 km/h, reducing the journey time to hardly more than 2 hours, and accelerating the economic integration of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

 

Funding Structure:

The project costing ₹1.08 lakh crore is being funded by the Union government, Maharashtra and Gujarat governments, and a Japanese low-interest loan. 

 

Source: Economic Times, India TV News, NDTV Profit, Financial Express