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Railway ministry postpones formal launch of bullet train tunneling work amid Mumbai rains
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Commuters wade through waterlogged LBS Road at Kurla West, in Mumbai. File | Ministry officials said it has been raining in Mumbai for the past few days, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued 'red' and 'orange' alerts for the next couple of days.Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: Tunnel breakthrough achieved in Palghar district; 3rd in 5 months"Considering the adverse weather conditions, we have decided to postpone the formal launch by the Hon'ble Railway Minister of the underground tunnel boring work using tunnel boring machines for the first time on the bullet train project," a senior official said."However, we have asked the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) to start the work immediately without the official launch so that the project is not delayed," the official added.The underground tunnel-boring work, being done by Afcons Infrastructure Limited, will now start the TBM operation for the timely completion and launch of the bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, NHSRCL officials said.Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was scheduled to inaugurate the underground tunnel-boring work from Vikhroli to the Bandra Kurla Complex station in Mumbai on Sunday (July 5, 2026), marking the maiden use of a tunnel boring machine for the country's first bullet train project, between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.Imported via sea route from China in March 2026, the two customised German-made tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) are owned by Afcons Infrastructure Limited, which is constructing a 20.37-km tunnel, including a 7-km undersea stretch. The tunnel will be built at a depth of around 65 metres below ground level.Officials said the first TBM will begin tunnelling from Vikhroli towards the BKC station, covering a distance of approximately 5.8 km.The second TBM is currently being assembled at Sawli and is expected to be ready within a week. It will excavate the 9.7-km stretch from Sawli to Vikhroli, including the 7-km undersea section.Each TBM is expected to excavate around 300 metres of tunnel every month. Once both machines become operational, around 600 metres of tunnelling will be completed every month.Explaining the project, officials said the 20.37-km tunnel stretches from the BKC station to Shilphata."Of the total length, 15.4 km between BKC and Sawli will be excavated using TBMs. The remaining 4.8-km stretch from Sawli to Shilphata has already been completed using the drill-and-blast method," they said.The tunnel will be a single-tube pathway which will accommodate twin tracks for bi-directional traffic.Two shafts at Vikhroli and Sawli, at approximate depths of 56 and 39 metres, will facilitate the construction. Thirty-nine equipment rooms at 37 locations will also be constructed adjoining the tunnel as part of the package.These TBMs are among the largest and most expensive heavy machinery to be deployed in India.Each has a cutter-head diameter of 13.6 metres, making them among the biggest tunnel boring machines used in any railway project nationwide.By comparison, TBMs used for urban metro rail systems typically have cutter-head diameters of 5 to 6 metres.The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, India's first bullet train project, spans 508 km and aims to provide high-speed connectivity between Maharashtra and Gujarat. Published - July 05, 2026 06:54 am IST
The Kannur Corporation is planning to launch an online booking and monitoring system for septic tank cleaning services within the next two weeks, becoming the first local body in the State to introduce such a system.Mayor P. Indira said the service would be available on demand to all residents within the jurisdiction of the Corporation, including apartments and other residential complexes that require septic tank cleaning.“The primary objective of the initiative is to ensure that fecal sludge reaches the treatment plant instead of being illegally discharged into waterbodies, thereby reducing water pollution and environmental contamination,” she said.“The platform will enable residents within the Corporation limits to book authorised septic tank cleaning vehicles online, make digital payments, receive SMS-based booking confirmations and tokens, and ensure that the collected faecal sludge is transported to the Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant for scientific processing,” a senior Corporation official told The Hindu.He said the system is intended to regulate private desludging operators, prevent the illegal dumping of sewage into canals and waterbodies, and curb water pollution.“If a person registers through the portal, a token will be generated via SMS. Once the payment is made online, an authorised vehicle will arrive at the scheduled time, collect the sludge, transport it to our treatment plant for processing, and complete the service through a token-based system,” the official said.The Corporation will also make it mandatory for private septic tank desludging vehicles to register on the platform. Only vehicles with the requisite approval and permits from the Regional Transport Office will be allowed to operate through the platform and transport the collected faecal sludge to the Corporation’s treatment plant after paying the prescribed processing fee through the online portal.“At present, some private operators reportedly charge between ₹10,000 and ₹30,000 for desludging services. The Corporation expects the new system to provide the service at significantly lower rates through a regulated mechanism,” he said.The online platform is being developed by Kannur-based Nellikka Complete Solutions Private Limited, a company specialising in solid waste management services that has been associated with the Corporation’s online transaction system since 2018.The Corporation’s fecal sludge treatment plant is currently the only such facility in Kannur district and is equipped with advanced screening and processing machinery. There are similar facilities in other municipal corporations, but none has introduced such an integrated online booking and monitoring system.The Corporation also plans to expand the capacity and operational area of the treatment plant to accommodate the increased volume of sludge expected after the online system becomes operational. Published - July 03, 2026 11:27 pm IST
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