India's ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR), also known as the bullet train project, has achieved a significant milestone with the breakthrough of a 4.88-kilometer tunnel between Shilphata and Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai. This tunnel is a part of the 21 km underground stretch between Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata, which includes a 7 km undersea tunnel under Thane Creek.
The completion of this tunnel, excavated using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), marks a crucial advancement in the project. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was present at the Ghansoli shaft for the breakthrough, hailed it as a "landmark achievement". He highlighted that a 4.9 km stretch of the tunnel has been completed between the Savali shaft and the Tunnel Portal at Shilphata, which will now connect to the viaduct portion of the MAHSR project at Shilphata.
The bullet train project aims to reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to approximately 2 hours and 7 minutes. Currently, a train journey between the two cities takes about 7 hours. The high-speed rail corridor is expected to have a daily ridership of around 36,000. The trains will operate between 6:00 am and midnight, with 70 daily services or 35 services in each direction. During peak hours, there will be 3 services per hour, and during off-peak hours, there will be 2 services per hour.
The project is being executed by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (NHSRCL) and utilizes Shinkansen technology from Japan, including rolling stock, signaling, and design standards. There will also be technology transfer to support the "Make in India" program.
According to Minister Vaishnaw, the first section of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train is expected to be operational by 2027. This initial section is likely to be in Gujarat. The Thane section is expected to be completed by 2028, followed by the section up to the Bandra Kurla Complex in 2029. While some sources suggest the entire project could be completed by 2028, others estimate a later completion date. Trial runs between Surat and Bilimora, a 50-km stretch, are expected to commence in 2026.
In addition to the tunnel breakthrough, significant progress has been made in other areas of the project. Approximately 320 kilometers of viaducts, or the bridge portion, have been completed. The bridges being built over rivers are also progressing rapidly, and the Sabarmati terminal is nearing completion.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor will have 12 stations. Eight stations will be in Gujarat (Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, and Vapi) and four in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Thane, Virar, and Boisar). The project aims to connect major economic centers along the route, bringing about multi-tiered economic benefits to the region.
