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Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: Breakthrough in 2nd mountain tunnel in Palghar
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project marks a key milestone with the completion of a second mountain tunnel in Maharashtra, enhancing construction progress.
The Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train project achieved a major construction milestone on Tuesday with a construction breakthrough of a second mountain tunnel in Maharashtra’s Palghar district.
With a length of 454 metres and width of 14.4 metres, the tunnel will accommodate both up and down tracks for the project.
“At 11.14am, blasting took place at MT-6. This was the second breakthrough of a mountain tunnel in less than a month with the previous one at MT-5 on January 2,” said an official from National High Speed Rail Corporation.
Seven mountain tunnels are currently under construction in Palghar district. As of January 27, at least 334km 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 picked up pace in the Gujarat section of the project.
The mountain tunnel (MT-6) was excavated from both ends using New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), a cutting-edge drill-and-controlled blast method. The excavation is expected to be completed within 12 months. NATM is favoured for its flexibility in complex geological conditions such as in Palghar district and irregular tunnel shapes where tunnel boring machines are not suitable. This process does not require very heavy machinery and allows real time adaptation using shotcreting, rock bolts and lattice girders.
Worker safety inside the tunnel was ensured through real-time monitoring, geotechnical instruments, fire safety measures, proper ventilation, and controlled access arrangements.
In Maharashtra, construction is progressing rapidly on multiple fronts, officials have said. Work on the project’s longest river bridge on the Vaitarna river has reached the pier level, while foundation-level work is underway on other major rivers such as the Ulhas and the Jagani. Construction is also advancing rapidly at all four stations, on major national and state highway crossings using long span steel bridges, and on the 21km-long tunnel between Bandra Kurla complex and Shilphata.
