- Third mountain tunnel excavated in Palghar district, Maharashtra.
- Controlled drilling and blasting used for tunnel excavation.
- All three tunnels between Vapi and Boisar now complete.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project has achieved another major milestone with the excavation of a mountain tunnel in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, the third such breakthrough in the district within the last five months.
The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), which is implementing the project, said the breakthrough was achieved on June 1.
According to a statement issued by the NHSRCL on Tuesday, engineers successfully completed the excavation of the third mountain tunnel, identified as MT-07, at Ambesari village in Dahanu taluka of Palghar district.
Third Tunnel Completed In Five Months
With the latest breakthrough, three mountain tunnels have now been excavated in the past five months, indicating rapid progress in one of the most geographically challenging stretches of the high-speed rail corridor.
The newly excavated MT-07 tunnel is 417 metres long and 14.4 metres wide.
The tunnel has been designed to accommodate both the up and down tracks of the bullet train corridor.
Advanced Monitoring And Safety Systems Used
To cut through the rugged terrain, the NHSRCL adopted a controlled drilling and blasting technique and carried out excavation simultaneously from both ends of the tunnel.
According to PTI, the site used real-time monitoring technologies, including Surface Settlement Points (SSP) and 3D targets to track ground movement.
Strain gauges and seismographs were also deployed to continuously monitor vibrations and tunnel behaviour to protect nearby structures.
The NHSRCL said strict safety measures were implemented for workers, including advanced ventilation systems, fire safety arrangements and controlled access mechanisms.
Three Tunnels Completed Between Vapi And Boisar
The excavation of MT-07 marks the completion of all three mountain tunnels, MT-08, MT-07 and MT-06, located between the Vapi station in Gujarat and Boisar station in Maharashtra.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project requires a total of eight mountain tunnels, seven of which are located in Palghar district and one in Valsad district of Gujarat.
India’s Only High-Speed Rail Corridor
The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor passes through Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
It is India’s only bullet train project and is designed for trains operating at speeds of up to 320 kmph.
The project is being implemented with technical and financial assistance from the Japanese government.
The corridor will connect Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, Vapi, Boisar, Virar, Thane and Mumbai.
Officials have said the project will reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to just 1 hour and 58 minutes once completed.
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The project achieved its second tunnel breakthrough near Saphale village in Palghar district in February this year. Another breakthrough involving the MT-5 tunnel was achieved near Saphale in January.
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