New Delhi, 02 January (H.S.): Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw virtually witnessed the triumphant breakthrough of the 1.5-km Mountain Tunnel-5 (MT-5) on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor from Rail Bhawan on Friday, marking the first such mountain tunnel completion in Maharashtra's Palghar district.

Nestled between Virar and Boisar stations, this pivotal tunnel—among Palghar's longest—underwent dual-end excavation over 18 months using advanced drill-and-blast techniques, incorporating real-time ground monitoring, shotcrete, rock bolts, and lattice girders for uncompromised safety.

It constitutes the second overall tunnel success in the state, succeeding the 5-km underground link between Thane and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in September 2025.

Project Scope and Timeline

Spanning 508 km across Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, the corridor—India's sole high-speed rail endeavor—will propel Shinkansen bullet trains at 320 kmph, slashing Mumbai-Ahmedabad travel to 2 hours 17 minutes, aided by Japanese technical and financial expertise.

Encompassing seven mountain tunnels totaling 27.4 km (21 km underground, 6.4 km surface), the project eyes first operations on Surat-Bilimora by August 15, 2027, followed by phased rollouts to Vapi-Surat, Vapi-Ahmedabad, Thane-Ahmedabad, and full Mumbai-Ahmedabad.

Strategic Momentum

Vaishnaw declared the Thane-Ahmedabad stretch clear, isolating only the Mumbai-Thane undersea segment as pending, with 12 stations and three depots advancing amid optimized planning.Safety protocols, including ventilation, fire prevention, and egress measures, were rigorously upheld throughout tunnelling.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar