Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project Hits Major Milestone As First TBM Set For Launch On July 5

Mumbai: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is scheduled to launch the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for the Mumbai underground section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project on Sunday, July 5. The launch will take place at the Vikhroli shaft, from where the giant machine will begin tunnelling towards Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). The event is expected to go ahead despite the weather department issuing a yellow alert for rain in Mumbai on the same day.

The launch marks a major milestone in India's first high-speed rail corridor. The 13.6-metre diameter TBM, weighing over 3,000 tonnes, has been assembled at the Vikhroli site after its massive 350-tonne cutterhead was recently lowered into the shaft. The machine will excavate nearly 6 km of the 21-km underground section between BKC and Thane, including a 7-km undersea tunnel beneath Thane Creek. The large diameter of the TBM will allow both the up and down bullet train tracks to pass through a single tunnel, making it one of the biggest rail tunnelling machines deployed in the country.

According to senior project officials, the TBM will continue tunnelling at a planned speed even during the monsoon after the inauguration. "The machine is designed to operate safely through the rainy season. Once the launch is completed, excavation will continue as per the project schedule," a senior official said.

Sources also said that the second TBM, being assembled at the Ghansoli shaft, is in the final stages of assembly and is expected to begin excavation by the end of July. Once both machines are operational, underground construction is expected to gather pace significantly.

The Mumbai underground stretch is considered one of the most challenging parts of the ₹1.08 lakh crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project. The tunnel will pass beneath densely populated areas and the Mithi River, requiring continuous monitoring through advanced instruments such as settlement sensors, tilt meters, strain gauges and vibration monitoring systems to ensure the safety of nearby structures.

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