The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project achieved a major milestone today as the second Tunnel Boring Machine began excavation from Sawli in Ghansoli towards Vikhroli.
The machine will construct part of the underground corridor, including the section beneath Thane Creek, which will be India’s first undersea high-speed rail tunnel.
The Tunnel Boring Machine is one of the largest used for railway tunnelling in India.
Of the 21-kilometre underground tunnel, 16 kilometres between Sawli and Bandra-Kurla Complex will be built using Tunnel Boring Machines. The first machine began tunnelling from Vikhroli towards Bandra-Kurla Complex earlier this month.
The Mixshield-type machine uses advanced slurry technology to stabilize the tunnel face and minimise ground disturbance in Mumbai’s densely populated suburbs.
A 39-metre-deep shaft was constructed at Sawli to launch the machine, which was lowered underground and assembled in phases.