Mumbai, Jan 21: As part of the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project, excavation for the ‘launching shaft’ of a 5.3-km, triple-lane twin tunnel at Dadasaheb Phalke Film City in Goregaon is currently underway.
Two state-of-the-art Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) will be used for the underground twin tunnel. All components of one TBM have arrived, while the second is expected by Thursday night. After the initial excavation, the TBM will be lowered into the shaft by March 10, 2026, with full-scale tunnelling starting in June 2026.
Site inspection and progress
Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar visited the ongoing excavation site of the launching shaft at Film City, measuring approximately 200 m long, 50 m wide and 30 m deep.
“Excavation is underway, with rock anchoring installed to prevent wall collapse. So far, work has reached a depth of 23 m, leaving 7 m to complete before the TBM launch cradle can be installed. Currently, around 1,400–1,500 cubic metres of rock and soil are removed daily and transported by 120 trucks,” said Bangar. He directed officials to increase the pace of work to complete excavation within the scheduled timeline.
TBM installation and tunnelling schedule
After completing the first phase of excavation, the process of lowering the TBM into the shaft will begin by March 10. Over the next three months, the TBM and its three gantry connections will be installed, with full-scale tunnelling set to start in June.
“The triple-lane box tunnel is an engineering challenge, with TBMs excavating approximately 5.3 km of twin tunnels. Including the box tunnel, the total length will reach around 6.62 km, with each tunnel having an external diameter of about 14.42 metres,” Bangar added.
Project timeline and impact
The BMC aims to complete the twin tunnels by October 2028. The 12.2-km GMLR will connect the Western Express Highway at Goregaon with the Eastern Express Highway at Mulund, cutting travel time from 75 to 25 minutes.
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The project, being executed in four phases, has a total cost of Rs 14,000 crore. Once complete, it will provide seamless east–west connectivity across Mumbai.
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