Construction of country's first undersea rail tunnel begins in Navi Mumbai

Construction work for the country's first undersea rail tunnel is underway at Savli in Navi Mumbai, through which the country's first bullet train will pass. According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, this 7 km long tunnel is being excavated under the sea. Heavy machinery weighing 3,000 tonnes is being continuously used for this operation.

This tunnel is being constructed 114 metres below ground level, a depth equivalent to a 35-storey building. This project is the sixth undersea tunnel project in the world. Japan has the highest number of undersea tunnels with two, while China and Norway have one each. Additionally, an undersea tunnel has also been built between Britain and France.

The 4.8 km long tunnel between Savli and Shilphata has already been completed. Focus has now shifted to the 7 km stretch under the sea. This 7 km portion of the tunnel will be 5 to 8 metres below the water surface. Currently, only 10% of this work has been completed. The operation was delayed as the TBM (TBM) machine was received from China only this March. The construction of the undersea tunnel is expected to be completed within the next 30 months.

The most important part of the total 21 km long tunnel of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is between Savli and Vikhroli (9.7 km), of which this undersea tunnel is a major component. Additionally, the 4.8 km route between BKC and Vikhroli will be ready in 20 months. Generally, two separate tunnels are constructed for metro, but here, bullet trains in both directions will pass together inside a single wide tunnel.

The speed of the train under the sea will be 180 to 280 km per hour, while it will be able to reach a top speed of 320 km per hour as soon as it emerges. For this massive project, approximately 1,200 labourers and engineers are working day and night amidst intense heat and suffocation. Managing water pressure and preventing vibrations is a major challenge in this construction work.

Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday inspected India's first indigenous bullet train, B-28, at the BEML plant in Bengaluru.