Third Mountain Tunnel on Bullet Train Corridor

June 3, 2026

Days are not far. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project has achieved another construction milestone with the breakthrough of its third mountain tunnel in Maharashtra, marking rapid progress on one of the most technically challenging sections of India’s first high-speed rail corridor. The breakthrough was achieved at Ambesari village in Dahanu taluka of Palghar district. The tunnel, designated MT-07, is 417 metres long and 14.4 metres wide and has been designed to accommodate both up and down tracks of the bullet train corridor. The excavation was carried out using a controlled drilling and blasting method from both ends of the tunnel. Advanced monitoring systems and geotechnical instruments were deployed throughout the work to ensure structural stability and safety. The corporation said real-time monitoring arrangements, including Surface Settlement Points, 3D targets, strain gauges and seismographs, were installed to continuously monitor vibrations, tunnel behaviour and the impact of excavation on nearby structures. Worker safety measures included ventilation systems, fire protection arrangements, controlled access and continuous geotechnical monitoring inside the tunnel. The breakthrough comes after the completion of two other mountain tunnels in the same section within the past five months. Tunnel MT-05, measuring 1.5 km, achieved breakthrough on January 2, while MT-06, measuring 454 metres, was completed on February 3. MT-08, a 350-metre tunnel, had earlier achieved breakthrough in October 2023