Bullet train: Intermediate tunnel made in Mumbai to expedite works

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 27 (ANI): In order to accelerate works in the ongoing ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, an additional 394-meter intermediate tunnel has been made at Ghansoli in Mumbai. This new intermediate tunnel will help speed up the 21-km-long main tunnelling work between BKC and Shilphata, abutting the Thane creek.

The 26-metre-deep new terminal is 3.3 km long, and it will allow simultaneous access to create a 1.6 meter (approx.) tunnel on each side. For the main 21-kilometre-long tunnel, 16 km is dug using tunnel boring machines and the remaining 5 km will be done through New Austrian Tunneling Method, a release from National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited, the special purpose company undertaking the bullet train project said.

The excavation work for the intermediate tunnel was started on December 6, 2023 and the entire length of 394 meters has been excavated in a period of six months.

A total of 214 controlled blasts were carried out using 27,515 kg of explosives under the supervision of experts.

The dimension of the intermediate tunnel is such that it will provide direct vehicular access to the main tunnel during construction and operation and can also be used for the purpose of evacuation procedure in case of emergency.

The construction works for 21 km from Mumbai Bullet Train Station to Shilphata in Maharashtra are going on at a rapid pace. About seven km of this tunnel will be under the sea in Thane creek, an intertidal zone.

This is the first tunnel of its kind to be built anywhere in the country. The 21 km long tunnel will be a single tube tunnel with two tracks for the top and bottom tracks. Presently, 16 km of the tunnel are under construction at BKC, Vikhroli and Savli, using the tunnel boring machines. The bullet train will be able to move at a speed of 320km/hr inside the tunnel.

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in March this year said that the much-awaited bullet train project will be ready by 2026, with services between Surat and Bilimora commencing initially.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor has been making steady progress since work began in November 2021. The project initially faced delays due to challenges in land acquisition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then-Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe launched the project in Ahmedabad on September 14, 2017.

National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) was incorporated on 12th February 2016 under the Companies Act, 2013 with the object of financing, constructing, maintaining and managing the High-Speed Rail Corridor in India.

The Company has been modelled as a 'Special Purpose Vehicle' in the joint sector with equity participation by the Central Government through the Ministry of Railways and two State Governments viz. Government of Gujarat and Government of Maharashtra.
As per the Joint Feasibility Study report of 2015, the project was estimated to cost Rs 108,000 crore, with an expected completion period of 8 years. (ANI)