India’s first bullet train corridor reached a major milestone with the breakthrough of a high-speed mountain tunnel in Palghar, Maharashtra, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Friday. “Mountain Tunnel-5 has been successfully completed. Out of the total seven mountain tunnels and one undersea tunnel in the Bullet Train Project, MT5 is the first and longest among the mountain tunnels,” Vaishnaw said.

The 508-kilometre Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project includes 27.4 km of tunnels—21 km underground and 6.4 km on the surface. Maharashtra houses seven mountain tunnels totaling 6.05 km, while Gujarat has one measuring 350 metres. The first underground tunnel, about 5 km long, was finished between Thane and BKC in September 2025. MT5, located in Palghar, measures 1.48 km (1.39 km excluding hood and portals).

Vaishnaw also shared project updates: there are 12 stations along the corridor, with BKC in Mumbai and Sabarmati in Ahmedabad serving as terminal stations. Three depots are under construction—one more than typically required—due to delays caused by pending approvals during the previous Maharashtra government.

Recently, the project achieved another engineering feat by launching a 130-metre span of a 230-metre steel bridge over National Highway-64 and the Bharuch-Dahej freight line near Kanthariya village, Gujarat. The bridge, 18 metres high, 14.9 metres wide, and weighing 2,780 metric tons, was assembled on temporary trestles and pushed using semi-automatic jacks. Designed for a 100-year lifespan, it was constructed with 1,22,146 high-strength Tor-Shear bolts, metallic bearings, and a C5 painting system, and installed in 12 hours with minimal disruption to road and freight operations.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor spans 508 km—352 km in Gujarat and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and 156 km in Maharashtra—linking major cities including Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, and Sabarmati. Approximately 465 km (85%) of the route runs on viaducts, reducing land disruption and enhancing safety. So far, 326 km of viaducts and 17 of 25 river bridges have been completed. The bullet train will cut travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to around two hours, transforming inter-city travel and boosting business, tourism, and economic growth along the corridor.