Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to launch Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train tunnel work

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will inaugurate the underground tunnel-boring work from Vikhroli to the Bandra Kurla Complex station in Mumbai on Sunday, marking the maiden use of a tunnel boring machine for the country's first bullet train project, between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Imported via the sea route from China in March 2026, the two customised German-made tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are owned by Afcons Infrastructure Limited, which is constructing a 20.37-km tunnel, including a 7-km undersea stretch. The tunnel will be built at a depth of about 65 metres below ground level.

"The Railway Minister will push a button to commence the operation of the tunnel boring machine stationed 56.6 metres below ground level at Vikhroli," an official of the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said.


Officials said the first TBM will begin tunnelling from Vikhroli towards the BKC station, covering a distance of approximately 5.8 km.

The second TBM is currently being assembled at Sawli and is expected to be ready within a week. It will excavate the 9.7-km stretch from Sawli to Vikhroli, including the 7-km undersea section.

"Each TBM is expected to excavate about 300 metres of tunnel every month. Once both machines become operational, around 600 metres of tunnelling will be completed every month," a senior railway expert said.

Explaining the project, he said the 20.37-km tunnel stretches from the BKC station to Shilphata.

"Of the total length, 15.4 km between BKC and Sawli will be excavated using TBMs. The remaining 4.8-km stretch from Sawli to Shilphata has already been completed using the drill-and-blast method," he stated.

The tunnel will be a single-tube pathway which will accommodate twin tracks for bi-directional traffic.

Two shafts at Vikhroli and Sawli, at approximate depths of 56 and 39 metres, will facilitate the construction. Thirty-nine equipment rooms at 37 locations will also be constructed adjoining the tunnel location as part of the package.

The TBMs are among the largest and most expensive ever deployed in India.

Each has a cutter head diameter of 13.6 metres, making them among the biggest tunnel boring machines used in any railway project in the country.

By comparison, TBMs used for urban metro rail systems typically have cutter head diameters of 5 to 6 metres.

Afcons, which is constructing the most crucial part of the project, has, in the past, executed such challenging projects as the Chenab bridge on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, the country's first under-river tunnel for the Kolkata East-West Metro corridor and the all-weather Atal Tunnel under Rohtang Pass.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, India's first bullet train project, spans 508 km and will provide high-speed connectivity between Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Starting from the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai, trains operating at speeds of up to 320 kmph will transform intercity travel and strengthen economic integration among Mumbai, Vapi, Surat, Anand, Vadodara and Ahmedabad.

The corridor will have stations at Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati.

The journey will take about 2 hours and 7 minutes for limited-stop services, halting only at Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad, significantly reducing travel time compared with conventional rail and road transport.