The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project has achieved another major engineering milestone, with the successful breakthrough of the third mountain tunnel in Maharashtra.
The breakthrough was achieved at Ambesari village in Dahanu Taluka of Palghar district, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement on Tuesday, 2 June.
The newly completed mountain tunnel, MT-07, is 417 metres long and 14.4 metres wide. It has been designed to accommodate both up and down tracks of the bullet train corridor.
With this achievement, three mountain tunnel breakthroughs have now been completed in Maharashtra within five months, marking rapid progress in one of the most technically challenging sections of India’s first high-speed rail corridor.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also shared the update on X, saying the Mumbai-Amdavad Bullet Train Project had achieved its third mountain tunnel breakthrough in Maharashtra within five months.
The tunnel was excavated through a controlled drilling and blasting method from both ends, supported by advanced engineering and safety protocols.
Read also: Indian Railways handles 145 million tonnes freight as passenger traffic crosses 61 crore in May
During excavation, monitoring systems and geotechnical instruments were deployed to ensure structural stability, worker safety and precision execution.
Real-time monitoring arrangements, including Surface Settlement Points, 3D targets, strain gauges and seismographs, were used to monitor vibrations, tunnel behaviour and surrounding structures.
The ministry said comprehensive worker-safety measures, including ventilation systems, fire-safety arrangements, controlled access and continuous geotechnical supervision, were maintained during tunnelling operations.
The latest breakthrough follows earlier milestones in the Maharashtra section of the project.
The first mountain tunnel breakthrough, MT-05, spanning 1.5 Km, was achieved near Saphale in Palghar district on 2 January 2026.
It marked the first successful mountain tunnel breakthrough for the Bullet Train Project in Maharashtra.
The second breakthrough, MT-06, was achieved on 3 February 2026.
It involved a 454-metre-long tunnel excavated using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method.
Among the seven mountain tunnels under construction in Maharashtra, MT-05, MT-06 and MT-07 have now achieved breakthroughs.
MT-08, a 350-metre tunnel, had already achieved breakthrough on 5 October 2023.
MT-03 has crossed 80% excavation progress, while MT-04 has reached nearly 60% progress. MT-01 and MT-02 are also progressing steadily.
Of the total eight mountain tunnels in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project, seven are located in Palghar district of Maharashtra and one is located in Valsad district of Gujarat, where tunnelling work has already been completed.
All three mountain tunnels between Vapi and Boisar bullet train stations have now been successfully excavated.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor passes through an important industrial region between Boisar in Maharashtra and Vapi in Gujarat, where construction work is progressing rapidly.
The route between these two cities includes three mountain tunnels – MT-08, MT-07 and MT-06.
The ministry said the project continues to drive the adoption of advanced tunnelling, monitoring and construction technologies, strengthening India’s capabilities in high-speed rail infrastructure.
Read also: Mumbai Metro Line 5 to become 34.21 Km corridor as Line 5A approval adds 11.83 Km and 7 stations
