The current Mumbai - Ahmedabad bullet train project has been accelerated with the construction of an extra 394-m intermediate tunnel at Ghansoli in Mumbai. This new intermediate tunnel, which is adjacent to the Thane Creek, will aid in expediting the 21-km major tunnel project between BKC and Shilphata.

With simultaneous access to the new terminal, which is 3.3 km long and 26 m deep, a 1.6 m (about) tunnel may be built on either side. The bullet train project's special purpose corporation, National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), released a statement stating that the main 21-km tunnel will be finished in 5 km by the New Austrian Tunnelling Method and 16 km by tunnel boring machines. Excavation for the intermediate tunnel began on December 6, 2023, and has taken six months to complete the 394-m length. Because of its length, the intermediate tunnel may be used as a direct transport route to the main tunnel while it is being built and operated. It can also be used for evacuation protocols in case of an emergency. The 21-km track between Mumbai Bullet Train Station and Shilphata, Maharashtra, is rapidly being built. For about seven kilometres, this tunnel will run beneath Thane Creek in an intertidal zone.

USP of the tunnel: This is the first tunnel of its sort built in India. The top and bottom railroads will each have two tracks in the 21-km single tube tunnel. 16 km of the tunnel are now being built at BKC, Vikhroli, and Savli using tunnel boring machines. The bullet train will be within the tunnel and be able to travel at 320 km/h.

According to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in March of this year, the much-awaited bullet train project is slated to be finished by 2026, with services between Surat and Bilimora commencing first.

Project timeline for the bullet train

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train line project has been slowly moving forward since construction began in November 2021. The project was first delayed due to problems obtaining land. The project was formally launched in Ahmedabad on September 14, 2017, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

NHSRCL was founded on February 12, 2016, in compliance with the Companies Act of 2013, with the objective of financing, constructing, managing, and overseeing the High-Speed Rail Corridor in India. the Maharashtra and Gujarati governments, together with the two state governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra, which have been modelled as "Special Purpose Vehicles" in the joint sector.