Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 20 : Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday interacted with workers building the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train tunnels, congratulating them for the breakthrough with the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM).
The union minister was seen shaking hands with the workers, as they held national flags and celebrated the breakthrough.
"Today, an important milestone has been achieved in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. An undersea tunnel is being constructed beneath the creek between Mumbai and Thane," Minister Vaishnaw told ANI.
He further said that a Japanese team also visited the site on Friday, and that over 320 kilometers of viaducts, or the bridge portion have been completed.
"This is a very important milestone for the entire project. Yesterday, a team from Japan visited and reviewed the entire project. Approximately 320 kilometres of viaducts, or the bridge portion, have been completed. The bridges being built over rivers are also being completed at a rapid pace. The Sabarmati terminal is almost complete," he said.
According to the minister, the proposed bullet train project will reduce travel time between the two cities from 2 hours to just 7 minutes, with other major cities like Thane, Vapi, Surat, Baroda, and Anand also seeing their economies grow.
The Minister further said that the plan is to have a train run every half an hour during peak hours in morning and evening, with plans to have a train be available every ten minutes during peak arms.
"This means that if you want to travel from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, the system of pre-reserving tickets will be eliminated. Simply arrive at the station, catch a train in ten minutes, and reach your destination in two hours. This will create a new approach to the entire service," Vaishnaw said.
In a significant milestone for the ambitious undersea tunnel project between BKC and Shillphata, the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) has successfully achieved a breakthrough for its 5 km tunnel stretch.
This critical section, which runs 4.881 km, notably includes a challenging 7 km segment beneath the Thane Creek. Tunneling commenced in May 2024, and on July 9, engineers celebrated the first breakthrough for a continuous 2.7 km section, connecting the ADIT to the Savali shaft.
With this achievement, excavation is now complete between the Savali shaft and the tunnel portal at Shillphata, paving the way for the tunnel's integration with the viaduct segment of the Mega Airport High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project. To accelerate the process, an Additional Driven Intermediate Tunnel (ADIT) was constructed, enabling simultaneous excavation from both Ghansoli and Shilphata sides.