A momentous breakthrough on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Corridor project
India’s first Bullet Train project has achieved a construction milestone – the breakthrough of Mountain Tunnel 7. This momentous development took place on 1 June, marking the project’s third such breakthrough within a five-month span.
The event was witnessed by Dr Hemant Vishnu Savara (Member of Parliament for the Palghar Lok Sabha Constituency), Anjum Pervez (MD, National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited [NHSRCL]), G Vinod (EVP & Head of Operations, Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail [MAHSR] C4 & C3 and Dubai HSR), Zamshed Ali (Task Force Leader Head, MAHSR C3), Dipak Roy (Principal CPM, NHSRCL) and other key officials from NHSRCL, the Project Management Consultancy consortium (led by Tata Consulting Engineers) responsible for overseeing civil construction and L&T.
Located at Ambesari village within the Sahyadri mountain range in Dahanu Taluka, the 417-metre-long 12.6-metre-wide tunnel was engineered to accommodate both up and down tracks. The tunnel was excavated from both sides over 516 days and through 117 controlled blasts, using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method, an advanced technique allowing for real-time monitoring of geological conditions and the immediate deployment of site-support systems, as well as shotcrete, rock bolts and lattice girders.
Strict safety protocols were maintained – including ventilation, fire prevention and controlled access arrangements. Safe excavation was ensured by advanced real-time tunnel instrumentation monitoring systems and state-of-the-art monitoring tools – such as 3D targets, seismographs and surface settlement points – marking a first-of-its-kind deployment in the Indian Railways.
The MAHSR C3 project comprises 135.45 km of elevated section between Silphata in Thane and Zaroli on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border and three stations (Thane, Virar and Boisar) with 124 km of viaduct, including 101 km of 2,584 full span launching method girders, and 17 km to be built using segmental and underslung segmental launching girders. The section also features 2.3 km of steel bridges and additional structures – including 6 km through seven mountain tunnels – and 5 km of special earth structures.
The successful breakthrough reflects the engineering excellence, technical capability and sheer dedication of the MAHSR C3 project team working in demanding terrain.
