Work on India’s first undersea railway tunnel near Mumbai to start soon

Work on India’s first undersea railway tunnel is expected to start soon with National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) signing a contract on Thursday with Afcons Infrastructure Limited for the construction of a 21 km long tunnel via Thane Creek near Mumbai, of which a 7 km stretch will be under the sea.

The tunnel forms part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

“The construction of the 21 km tunnel, which includes the country’s first twin-track undersea rail tunnel at Thane Creek, is among the most challenging contracts of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor,” said NHSRCL managing director Rajendra Prasad.

Three Tunnel Boring Machines and the new Austrian tunnelling method will be employed to carve out the tunnel, Prasad said.

The structure will link the underground station at Bandra-Kurla Complex with Shilphata in Thane, accommodating twin tracks for the up and down routes.

The tunnel’s depth will vary from 25 to 65 metres below ground level.

The technical bids of this tender were opened in February, while the financial bids were opened in April. The 21-km tunnel will be between the underground station at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata in Maharashtra.