Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train first phase set to start in 2027: Railway Minister

A breakthrough was achieved for a 488 kmlong tunnel between Shilphata and Ghansoli for the MumbaiAhmedabad bullet train project on Saturday morning in the presence of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reported news agency PTICalling it a landmark achievement Vaishnaw who initiated the breakthrough of the tunnel said that the first phase of the highspeed corridor on the SuratBilimora section will start in December 2027 reported PTITalking to reporters in Ghansoli near Mumbai the minister said that the bullet train will be the transport for the middle class and the fares will be reasonable reported PTIHe said that the Google Maps app shows the journey time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad as nine hours but people will be able to cover the distance in two hours and seven minutes on the bullet trainThe first phase of the bullet train project will be first launched on the SuratBilimora section in 2027 covering Thane in 2028 and the Bandra Kurla Complex in 2029 Vaishnaw saidThe 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 he said reported PTIThere will be no need for ticket reservations for travel between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and passengers can arrive at the station and board the minister saidStanding at one of the openings of the tunnel Vaishnaw pushed the button and triggered a controlled dynamite blast to break through its final layer completing five km of excavationThe National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited NHSRCL said that the tunnel excavated using the New Austrian Tunnel Method NATM is part of the 21 km underground stretch between the BandraKurla Complex BKC and Shilphata including a 7km segment beneath Thane CreekWith the latest breakthrough the bullet train tunnel now connects the Savali shaft to the tunnel portal at Shilphata linking it to the viaduct portion of the MumbaiAhmedabad High Speed Rail MAHSR project the NHSRCL stated in a release reported PTIThe NHSRCL said that excavation of the tunnel began in May 2024 in three phases and the first breakthrough of a 27 km continuous section was achieved on July 9 An additional intermediate tunnel ADIT was built to allow simultaneous excavation from both Ghansoli and Shilphata sidesThe NATM tunnel has an internal width of 126 metres and was constructed using drilling blasting survey works and support systems under challenging geological conditions it statedThe corporation said that the next phase will involve waterproofing lining finishing and equipment installation while the remaining 16 km of tunnelling will be executed using tunnel boring machines TBMsThe completed tunnel will be a singletube 131metre diameter structure accommodating twin tracks for both up and down linesThe corporation also highlighted comprehensive safety measures including settlement markers piezometers inclinometers strain gauges and restricted site access along with arrangements to pump fresh air for workers inside the tunnelThe 508 kmlong MumbaiAhmedabad highspeed rail corridor is Indias first bullet train projectAccording to the NHSRCL work has been completed on 321 km of viaduct 398 km of pier along with 17 river bridges nine steel bridges and the installation of over four lakh noise barriers across 206 kmThe track bed construction has been finished on 206 km and more than 2000 overhead equipment masts have been installed covering 48 km of the mainline viaduct it statedWith inputs from PTI