July 11, 2025: A significant milestone was reached on Wednesday in the construction of India’s first high-speed rail project — the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor. Engineers recorded the first breakthrough in the 21-kilometre-long underground tunnel stretching from Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to Shilphata, marking the successful completion of a continuous 2.7-kilometre tunnel section.
This tunnel is a crucial element of the ambitious bullet train route, and includes a challenging 7-kilometre stretch that runs beneath the ecologically sensitive Thane Creek. The overall 21km tunnel is being executed using a combination of tunnelling technologies. Of the total length, 16 kilometres will be constructed using tunnel boring machines (TBMs), while the remaining stretch — between Shilphata and Ghansoli — will be built using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM).
To accelerate progress on the NATM segment, an intermediate access tunnel was specially developed. This has enabled simultaneous excavation works from both the Shilphata and Ghansoli ends. According to project officials, approximately 1.6 kilometres of excavation has already been carried out from the Shilphata side.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor, once completed, will drastically cut travel time between the two cities, offering passengers a modern, efficient alternative to current rail services. The BKC-Shilphata tunnel — with its advanced engineering solutions and strategic execution plan — marks one of the most complex and vital components of the entire route.
As India pushes forward with its vision for high-speed connectivity, the successful breakthrough of this tunnel section symbolises not only technical progress but also the commitment to meeting critical project milestones in the years to come.
Source: Times Of India
