Bullet Train: Major Tunnel Milestone Hit in Maharashtra

New Delhi, january 02, 2026: In a landmark moment for India’s infrastructure, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw witnessed the successful final breakthrough of the 1.5-km-long Mountain Tunnel-5 (MT-5) in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Friday, January 2, 2026.¹ This achievement marks a critical step toward the completion of the ambitious 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor.²

A Breakthrough for the Middle Class

Connecting the Virar and Boisar bullet train stations, MT-5 is the first and longest of the seven mountain tunnels planned for the Maharashtra section of the corridor. The breakthrough was witnessed virtually by the Minister from Rail Bhawan in New Delhi.³

Speaking at the event, Minister Vaishnaw emphasized the project’s impact:

Technical Feats and Progress

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is a marvel of modern engineering, utilizing Japanese Shinkansen technology. Below are the key technical highlights of the project:

• Tunneling Milestones: The 1.48-km MT-5 is the second major tunnel breakthrough in Maharashtra, following the completion of the 5-km underground tunnel between Thane and BKC in September 2025.⁵
• Corridor Composition: Approximately 85% of the 508-km route (nearly 465 km) is being built on viaducts to minimize land acquisition and environmental impact.⁶
• Infrastructure Progress:
  • 326 km of viaduct work has been completed.⁷
  • 17 out of 25 river bridges are already in place.⁸
  • A massive 130-metre steel bridge span was recently launched over NH-64 in Gujarat.

The Road to August 15, 2027

The Ministry has confirmed that the project is moving toward a phased commissioning. The first high-speed train is slated to operate on the Surat-Bilimora stretch, with the goal of making the entire network operational by August 15, 2027.

Despite previous administrative delays in Maharashtra, construction is now in high gear.¹⁰ With the completion of MT-5, the Minister noted that the path between Thane and Ahmedabad is largely clear, leaving the complex undersea stretch between Mumbai and Thane as the final major tunneling challenge.

Once operational, the bullet train is expected to catalyze regional development, boosting business and tourism across the Palghar, Thane, and Ahmedabad regions.¹¹