Overview
- NHSRCL said Thursday that about 5 km of the 21 km Mumbai–Ahmedabad tunnel has been excavated using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method, a staged excavation technique between Ghansoli and Shilphata.
- With digging finished on this stretch, crews are installing drainage, waterproofing membranes, steel reinforcement cages, and the final concrete lining using specialised gantries, along with equipment rooms for operations.
- Across the 508 km high‑speed corridor, officials report 343 km of viaduct and 434 km of piers complete, 17 river bridges in place, more than 5.6 lakh noise barriers installed, and breakthroughs in two of seven mountain tunnels in Palghar.
- In a separate push, MMRDA is starting tunnelling on the 11.84 km Thane–Borivali twin road tunnel under Sanjay Gandhi National Park using giant TBMs named Nayak and Arjuna, with cross‑passages every 300 metres and full ventilation and firefighting systems.
- The Thane–Borivali link is expected to cut the current 60–90 minute drive to about 15 minutes after completion targeted for May 2028, which could ease Ghodbunder Road congestion and lower emissions for daily commuters.