Bullet Train project: Second tunnel breakthrough achieved in Palghar

The MumbaiAhmedabad highspeed rail project achieved its second tunnel breakthrough in a month in Maharashtras Palghar district on Tuesday officials said reported the PTIUnion Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw witnessed the breakthrough virtually from New Delhi via a video link The breakthrough took place near Saphale villageThe tunnel known as MT6 is 454 metres long and 144 metres wide and is designed to accommodate both up and down tracks of the bullet train corridorThe development marks the second tunnel breakthrough in Palghar within a month following the completion of the MT5 tunnel near Saphale on 2 JanuaryOfficials said the MT6 tunnel was excavated from both ends using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method NATM which involves drilling and controlled blasting and is suitable for complex geological conditionsThe excavation work was completed within 12 monthsThe 508km MumbaiAhmedabad bullet train project passes through Maharashtra Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli It is Indiarsquos only highspeed rail corridor and is designed to operate trains at a maximum speed of 320 kmphBullet Train Project achieves another milestone 2nd tunnel breakthrough in Palghar within a month Palghar Maharashtra pictwittercomuv3QEsXvjpmdash Ashwini Vaishnaw AshwiniVaishnaw February 3 2026Work progress across Maharashtra and GujaratConstruction of seven bullet train tunnels is currently underway in Palghar district with excavation and allied works at different stages of completionIn Maharashtra work is also progressing on river bridges over the Vaitarna Ulhas and Jagani rivers station buildings highway crossings and a 21km underground tunnel between BandraKurla Complex BKC and ShilphataAs of January 27 around 334 km of viaducts 17 river bridges and 12 major crossings over national highways railway lines and other infrastructure have been completedOfficials said track laying and electrification have gathered pace in the Gujarat section of the corridorUnion Budget 2026 Two Bullet Train corridors connecting MaharashtraMeanwhile Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said that with two Bullet Train corridors MumbaiPune and PuneHyderabad are among Rs 23926 crore the allocations will give a major rail network boost in MaharashtraVaishnaw briefed the media on the record railway budget allocation of Rs 23926 crore for Maharashtra for the financial year 2026The briefing was held through video conferencing and organised by Central Railway in MumbaiThe Minister said this allocation is nearly 20 times higher than the average annual allocation of Rs 1171 crore provided to the state during the period 200914The Minister announced that seven highspeed rail projects have been included in the budget out of which two new bullet train corridors will pass through Maharashtra and Hyderabad MumbaiPune 48 minutes and PuneHyderabad 1 hour 55 minutesThese projects are expected to significantly reduce travel time and improve intercity connectivity an official statement saidwith PTI inputs