Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: Breakthrough in first mountain tunnel achieved in Valsad in Gujarat

The breakthrough in the first mountain tunnel in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor, popularly called the bullet train, was achieved on Thursday in Valsad in Gujarat, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) said.

The tunnel, which is located some 1 kilometre away from Zaroli village in Umbergaon taluka in Valsad in the neighbouring state, was completed in 10 months using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), the NHSRCL release said.

"The comprises a tunnel, a tunnel portal, and other connecting structures like a tunnel entrance hood. The 350-metre long tunnel has a diameter of 12.6 metres and a height of 10.25 metres. The single tube horseshoe-shaped tunnel will have two high-speed train tracks passing through it," it said.

The Mumbai-Ahmedbad high speed rail corridor will have seven mountain tunnels, all of which will be constructed using the NATM that involves marking drill holes on the tunnel face, drilling holes, charging explosives, controlled blasting, muck removal, and the installation of primary support, it said.

The high-speed train corridor will also have a 21 kilometre tunnel between Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai and Shilphata in Thane district, and 7 kilometres of this tunnel will be under Thane creek, making it the first undersea tunnel in the country.

The total cost of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor project is pegged at Rs 1.08 lakh crore.

As per the shareholding pattern, the government of India will pay Rs 10,000 crore to the NHSRCL, while the two states involved, Gujarat and Maharashtra, are to pay Rs 5,000 crore each.

The rest comprises a loan from Japan.