Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), famous for its towering office blocks and bustling streets, is quietly transforming into the site of one of India’s most ambitious infrastructure projects — a high-speed underground rail station for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor, also known as the bullet train project. According to a report by Times Now, the project aims to slash travel time between the two cities to just around two hours.
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has confirmed that approximately 75 per cent of the groundwork at the BKC station site has been completed. A major task — the removal of 14 lakh cubic metres of soil — has already been accomplished. Foundation work for the station is progressing rapidly, with 25,000 cubic metres of concrete poured for the base slab so far. In total, an estimated 2 lakh cubic metres of concrete will be used just for this section of the construction.
Once completed, the bullet train will depart from BKC and travel underground for 21 kilometres up to Shilphata. Of this stretch, 16 kilometres will be constructed using Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), specialised machines designed to carefully excavate tunnels through soil and rock. The remaining 5 kilometres will be developed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), particularly suited for uneven terrain such as hills or loose soil.
Tunnel construction is currently underway at three key sites — Shilphata and two ADIT portals, which will later double as emergency exits and maintenance access points. In addition, two deep vertical shafts have been completed — one at Vikhroli, reaching a depth of 56 metres, and another at Sawali, descending 39 metres below ground.
When operational, the bullet train is expected to revolutionise connectivity between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, with the BKC station serving as the crucial starting point for this transformative journey. Although much of the work remains hidden underground, the project marks a significant leap in India’s ambition to modernise and speed up its transportation infrastructure. The underground station and tunnels represent a major milestone in India’s journey towards a faster, more efficient travel network.
Source: Oneindia
