The Mumbai Ahmedabad bullet train project marked its second tunnel breakthrough within a month in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Tuesday, officials said.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw virtually witnessed the breakthrough near Saphale village from New Delhi via video link. Congratulating the high speed rail team, Vaishnaw said the pace of work had instilled fresh confidence in the country. He added that the project was attracting global attention for its innovations in construction and technology, noting that many advanced machines and techniques being used are made in India.
The newly completed tunnel, MT 6, is 454 metres long and 14.4 metres wide, and is designed to carry both up and down tracks of the high speed rail corridor. This is the second tunnel breakthrough in Palghar in a month, following the completion of the MT 5 tunnel near Saphale on January 2.
Officials said the MT 6 tunnel was excavated from both ends using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method, which involves controlled drilling and blasting and is suited to challenging geological conditions. The excavation was completed within 12 months.
The 508 km Mumbai Ahmedabad high-speed rail project, passing through Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, is India’s only bullet train corridor and is designed for trains operating at speeds of up to 320 kmph.
Construction is currently underway on 7 bullet train tunnels in Palghar, with excavation and allied works progressing at different stages. Work on the corridor is also advancing at several sites in Maharashtra, including river bridges over the Vaitarna, Ulhas and Jagani rivers, station buildings, highway crossings, and a 21 km underground tunnel between Bandra Kurla Complex and Shilphata.
As of January 27, about 334 km of viaducts, 17 river bridges and 12 major crossings over national highways, railways and other infrastructure have been completed. Track laying and electrification work has also picked up pace in the Gujarat section.
