National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has achieved the breakthrough of a 454 m long with a width of 14.4 m MT-6 mountain tunnel at Palghar in connection with the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (HSR) Corridor Project.
Seven mountain tunnels are under construction with varying levels of progress. Tunnel MT-1, with a length of 0.820 km, has achieved 16 per cent completion. Preparatory works are currently underway for MT-2, which is 0.228 km long. MT-3, measuring 1.403 km, has reached 41 per cent completion, while MT-4, with a length of 1.26 km, stands at 32 per cent completion. MT-5, spanning 1.48 km, has progressed to 57 per cent, with breakthrough achieved on 2 January 2026. MT-6, having a length of 0.45 km, is 47 per cent complete, with breakthrough achieved today. MT-7, measuring 0.417 km, has recorded 29 per cent completion.
The mountain tunnel was excavated from both ends using New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), a cutting-edge drill-and-controlled blast method. The excavation is completed within 12 months. Furthermore, NHSRCL has completed 334 km of viaduct installation work on the project.
The project involves the development of a 508.17 km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR corridor in Maharashtra and Gujarat with an investment of Rs 1,080 billion.