By Ashley Karen
Indian Express reported that India’s National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) received bids for constructing a 21km underground tunnel of the 508.17km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor.
The tunnel extends from Kalyan Shilphata to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) of the high-speed rail corridor and is also called the bullet train project.
Out of the 21km underground tunnel, a 7km stretch will operate beneath the sea at Thane Creek. Once completed, this 7km stretch will become India’s first undersea tunnel.
Afcons Infrastructure Limited and Larsen & Toubro Limited have participated in the technical bid. As reported, the final scrutiny is underway.
The tender will be granted to a participating entity only if it meets the agency’s requirements to finish the underground tunnel section, which is considered the most challenging part of the project.
The project will use a TBM with a cutter head of 13.1m diameter for construction. The 21km stretch will feature a single-tube tunnel for accommodating twin tracks. Moreover, the project will contain the construction of 39 equipment rooms at 37 locations adjoining the tunnel.
As per an official report, almost 16km of the tunnel will be built using three tunnel boring machines, and the rest 5km will be constructed using the new Austrian tunnelling method (NATM).
Both mentioned technologies were used for the Mumbai Metro Line 3 project, which operates underground and links Colaba with SEEPZ through Bandra.
The depth of this 21km tunnel will range between 25 and 65m from ground level, with the deepest construction point being 114m under Parsik Hill.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is anticipated to complete by 2026. Trains on this corridor will move at a max speed of 350km per hour and cover a stretch of 508km within three hours.
