Bullet Train Project: Light at the end of the undersea tunnel

The Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train project crossed a key milestone on Saturday with the breakthrough of a 4.88 km tunnel between Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Ghansoli, part of the 21-km underground stretch that will include a 7-km undersea section beneath Thane Creek. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who attended the event, described it as a “landmark achievement,” reiterating that the first phase on the Surat–Bilimora stretch will be operational by December 2027.

The ₹1.08 lakh crore project, launched through an agreement with Japan in 2015, was originally targeted for completion in 2022–23. However, prolonged land acquisition hurdles and political indecision, especially under the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government which deprioritised the project, delayed work by several years. Only after the change of government in 2022 did approvals and land acquisition pick up pace.

Despite the setbacks, construction has now gained momentum, with viaducts, bridges, and over 200 km of track-bed work already completed. The Centre hopes to finish the Gujarat portion by 2027 and the full Mumbai–Ahmedabad line by 2029, cutting travel time between the two cities from nine hours to just over two hours.

For now, Saturday’s tunnel breakthrough is a reminder that while India’s bullet train project may be progressing slowly, it is surely inching closer to reality.