News Brief
Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Achieves 4.88 Km Tunnel Breakthrough Between Shilphata-Ghansoli; Set To Open In 2027
First Phase of Bullet Train to Start on Surat-Bilimora in 2027 (X)
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday (20 September) conducted the breakthrough of a 4.88 km-long tunnel between Shilphata and Ghansoli for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, reported The Hindu.
Standing at the tunnel opening in Navi Mumbai, he triggered a controlled dynamite blast, completing the final excavation layer.
Calling it a “landmark achievement,” Vaishnaw said the first phase of the high-speed corridor on the Surat-Bilimora section will start in December 2027.
The bullet train will be the "transport for the middle class,” he added, promising “reasonable” fares.
Vaishnaw highlighted that Google Maps shows the journey between Mumbai and Ahmedabad as nine hours, but the bullet train will cover it in just two hours and seven minutes.
The project will first launch on the Surat-Bilimora section in 2027, reach Thane in 2028, and the Bandra Kurla Complex in 2029.
“The services are designed such that a train will depart every half hour during the morning and evening peak hours. Once the entire network stabilises, there will be a train every 10 minutes during peak hours,” Vaishnaw said.
The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said workers began excavation in May 2024 using the New Austrian Tunnel Method (NATM) and achieved the first breakthrough of a 2.7 km continuous section in July 2025.
The 12.6-metre-wide NATM tunnel forms part of a 21 km underground stretch between BKC and Shilphata, including a 7 km segment beneath Thane Creek.
NHSRCL will next focus on waterproofing, lining, finishing, and equipment installation, while the remaining 16 km of tunnelling will use tunnel boring machines.
The completed single-tube, 13.1-metre-diameter tunnel will carry twin tracks.
The 508 km corridor marks India’s first bullet train project, with extensive viaducts, bridges, and noise barriers already completed.
