Will the first phase of the bullet train be operational by December 2027? Union Minister Vaishnaw marks tunnel breakthrough

Mumbai, Sep 20 (NationPress) Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Saturday that a crucial milestone has been reached in the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project.

A tunnel is currently being constructed beneath the creek that lies between Mumbai and Thane, under the sea.

During his review of the tunnel breakthrough between Ghansoli and Shilphata (4.881 km) in Maharashtra, he stated that this represents a significant achievement for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor.

The Union Minister activated a controlled dynamite blast to penetrate its final layer, marking the completion of five kilometers of excavation.

Lauding it as a “landmark achievement”, Minister Vaishnaw mentioned that the initial phase of the high-speed corridor on the Surat-Bilimora section is set to commence in December 2027, with coverage extending to Thane in 2028 and the Bandra-Kurla Complex in 2029.

He informed reporters in Ghansoli, near Mumbai, that this bullet train is aimed at being the “transport for the middle class”, with “reasonable” fares.

“Currently, nearly 320 km of the viaduct, which constitutes the bridge component of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad project, has been completed. Excellent progress is underway at all stations, with the construction of bridges over rivers also advancing rapidly,” he stated.

According to the Union Minister, commuters will be able to traverse the distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in just two hours and seven minutes on the bullet trains, as opposed to the nine hours indicated on the Google Maps application.

He added that services are structured such that a train will depart every half an hour during peak morning and evening hours.

Once the full network stabilizes, there will be a train every 10 minutes during peak periods, he noted.

Minister Vaishnaw also mentioned that ticket reservations will not be necessary for travel between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, allowing passengers to simply arrive at the station and board the bullet train.

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) stated that the tunnel, excavated using the New Austrian Tunnel Method (NATM), is part of the 21 km underground stretch connecting the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata, which includes a 7 km segment beneath Thane Creek.

With this latest breakthrough, the bullet train tunnel now links the Savali shaft to the tunnel portal at Shilphata, integrating it with the viaduct section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, according to NHSRCL.

The NHSRCL reported that tunnel excavation began in May 2024 in three phases, with the first breakthrough of a 2.7 km continuous section achieved on July 9.

An additional intermediate tunnel was constructed to facilitate simultaneous excavation from both the Ghansoli and Shilphata sides.

The NATM tunnel features an internal width of 12.6 meters and was built using drilling, blasting, survey works, and support systems under challenging geological conditions.

According to NHSRCL, the upcoming phase will encompass waterproofing, lining, finishing, and equipment installation, while the remaining 16 km of tunneling will be carried out using tunnel boring machines.

The finished tunnel will be a single-tube structure with a 13.1-meter diameter, accommodating twin tracks for both up and down lines.

The 508 km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor is India's first bullet train project.

NHSRCL reported that work has been finalized on 321 km of viaduct, 398 km of pier, along with 17 river bridges, nine steel bridges, and the installation of over four lakh noise barriers across 206 km.

The track bed construction has been concluded on 206 km, and more than 2,000 overhead equipment masts have been placed across 48 km of the mainline viaduct, NHSRCL added.