Mumbai's Largest Tunnel Boring Machines Lowered Into Shaft As Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Project Zooms Three Months Ahead Of Schedule

As part of Phase 3B of the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road, the process of lowering the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) components into the construction shaft for the twin tunnels near Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari began on Wednesday. Remarkably, this critical activity has commenced nearly three months ahead of schedule, according to civic officials.

The 12.20-km-long GMLR project will enhance road connectivity between the western and eastern suburbs of Mumbai. As part of the project, twin underground tunnels will be constructed from Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in Goregaon to Khindipada in Mulund. Each tunnel will be 4.70 km long, with a 14.20-metre diameter, reducing to 13 metres beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SNGP), and will run entirely underground beneath the park’s hills. Each tunnel will have three lanes and will include modern ventilation, advanced fire-safety systems, stormwater drainage, and utility ducts. Excavation will be carried out using two 14.49-metre-diameter TBMs—the largest ever used in Mumbai—manufactured by Terratec, each weighing about 2,175 metric tons.

At the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari site, the first phase of work for the launching shaft required for constructing the twin tunnels under the GMLR has been completed. The shaft measures approximately 200 metres in length, 50 metres in width, and 30 metres in depth, and all excavation required to lower the TBMs into the shaft has been finished. Additionally, a strong curved concrete cradle measuring 20 m × 20 m × 2.5 m has been constructed at the base of the shaft. This cradle plays a crucial role in securely stabilising the TBM and ensuring its precise alignment during the initial launch of tunnelling operations, and the necessary cradle works have also been completed.

The process of lowering the TBM components into the GMLR shaft began on Wednesday. “Advanced cranes with capacities of 800 metric ton (MT) and 350 MT, successfully load-tested earlier, are being used to safely lower TBM parts in phases. The primary excavation component, weighing 135 MT, was successfully placed into the shaft,” said a senior civic official. He added, “Key TBM components—Main Shield, Cutter Head, Screw Conveyor, Main Bearing, and Erector—have already been assembled. In the next phase, these will be lowered into the shaft and integrated to form the TBM’s final structure, after which tunnelling will commence. Upon completion of the underground tunnel from Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari, beneath SNGP, to Amar Nagar in Mulund, the TBM will be retrieved at the Amar Nagar shaft and dismantled into its components.”

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