A major milestone is expected in the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project will be achieved after Shilphata tunnel breakthrough in Maharashtra`s Thane district on Saturday, officials said.
As part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, the breakthrough will be achieved using NATM (New Austrian Tunnelling Method) tunnel, sources said.
The event will be attended by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, they said on Friday.
The tunnel forms part of Package C2 of the bullet train corridor and is being constructed by Afcons Infrastructure Ltd.
Unlike tunnel boring machines (TBMs), the NATM method relies on the surrounding ground to act as a natural support structure. As excavation progresses, concrete is sprayed onto the tunnel walls to stabilise and reinforce the area, ensuring safety and integrity, sources said.
The milestone follows several other civil and infrastructure developments completed over recent months.
“Ashwini Vaishnaw will be visiting the NHSRCL site at Ghansoli on Saturday to grace the Bullet Train – Shilphata Tunnel breakthrough event,” said an official.
Meanwhile, earlier this month the NHSRCL had on September 8 said that it has signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Limited for the design, supply, and construction of the bullet train track in Maharashtra, officials said.
An official statement said that the agreement includes track works for the 157-km stretch between the upcoming Mumbai Bullet Train Station and Zaroli village near the Maharashtra-Gujarat border. It also covers four stations and a rolling stock depot at Thane.
Work on the Gujarat section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor is progressing rapidly, with over 200 km of viaduct already constructed under packages T-2 and T-3. All major track construction contracts have now been awarded to Indian companies, boosting local expertise in high-speed rail technology. The project uses Japanese Shinkansen-style ballast-less slab track systems, which include components such as RC track beds, cement asphalt mortar (CAM), pre-cast slabs, and rail fasteners.
Under an MoU with NHSRCL, the Japan Railway Technical Service (JARTS) has trained over 430 Indian engineers in Gujarat. Similar training programmes will now be conducted in Maharashtra before the construction begins, the statement said.
Project Progress as on September 8, 2025
- Viaduct construction: 320 km
- Pier works: 397 km
- Pier Foundation: 408 km
- 17 river bridges, 09 steel bridges and 05 PSC (pre stressed concrete) bridges are completed
- 4 lakhs noise barriers installed along 203 km of stretch
- 202 track km of track bed construction completed
- 1800 OHE masts installed covering approx. 44 km of mainline viaduct
- Work on 21 km tunnel between BKC and Shilphata in Maharashtra in progress
- Excavation work on 07 mountain tunnels in Palghar district in progress
The officials said that the superstructure work on all stations in Gujarat is at advanced stage. Work started on all three elevated stations and base slab casting at Mumbai underground station in Maharashtra is in progress.
