Bullet train project: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw witnesses final breakthrough of tunnel at Delhi Rail Bhawan

New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday virtually witnessed the final breakthrough of a 1.5-km-long mountain tunnel of the bullet train project in Maharashtra's Palghar district from Rail Bhawan in New Delhi.

"This 1.5-km-long mountain tunnel is among the longest in Palghar district and is located between the Virar and Boisar bullet train stations. It is the second tunnel breakthrough in Maharashtra, as the first 5-km-long underground tunnel between Thane and BKC was completed in September 2025," a Railway Ministry press note said.

The tunnel was excavated from both ends and the excavation was completed within 18 months using a cutting-edge drill and blast method.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project has a total length of 508 km, with an overall tunnel length of 27.4 km, of which 21 km comprises underground tunnels and 6.4 km surface tunnels.

The project includes eight mountain tunnels, with seven tunnels in Maharashtra having a combined length of about 6.05 km, and one tunnel of 350 metres located in Gujarat.

This is India's only high-speed rail project designed to operate bullet trains at a speed of 320 kmph, in just 1 hour and 58 minutes, connecting and integrating the economies of major commercial centers.

The project is being executed with technical and financial assistance from the Japanese government.