Mumbai News: BMC To Begin Work On Goregaon-Mulund Link Road's Twin Tunnels Next Month As Tunnel Boring Machine Parts Arrive From Japan

Mumbai: Work on the twin tunnels of the ambitious Rs 6,500-crore Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project is set to begin next month. Several trailers carrying components of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) which will be used to excavate the twin tunnels have arrived in Mumbai from Japan. The last shipment of first TBM components is scheduled to arrive next month, paving the way for construction to commence.

Under Phase 3(B) of the GMLR project, a 6.65-km corridor will be developed, including a 1.22-km triple-lane box tunnel at Film City and twin tunnels beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

The tunnels will start at Film City in Goregaon East and emerge at Amar Junction in Mulund, currently a dense slum area. Of the total length, 5.30 km will be excavated using TBMs, with the remaining 1.35 km comprising approach roads and the box tunnel.

The twin tunnels will run at depths ranging from 20 to 160 metres below ground and will include cross-passages at intervals of every 300 metres. Designed to pass beneath the ecologically sensitive and topographically complex terrain of SGNP including hillocks, forest areas, and farmlands the tunnels will be excavated using two TBMs, both of which will commence operations from the launching shaft at Film City.

According to senior civic officials, "54 containers carrying parts of the first TBM have already been delivered, while the remaining 23 are expected by August 15. The equipment, shipped from Japan, is being unloaded at the JNPT port and transported to the project site via trailers. Once all containers are received, the TBM will be assembled on-site over a period of four months in preparation for the tunneling work. The second TBM machine is expected to arrive in Mumbai by end of December."

The BMC recently received approval from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for diverting 19.43 hectares of forest land for the construction of twin tunnels.

Mumbai News: Centre Approves Forest Land Diversion For Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Twin Tunnels Beneath SGNP; BMC To Begin Work On ₹6,548 Crore Project

The BMC aims to complete the twin tunnels by October 2028. The 12.2-km GMLR will connect the Western Express Highway at Goregaon with the Eastern Express Highway at Mulund, cutting travel time from 75 to 25 minutes. The project, being executed in four phases, has a total cost of Rs. 14,000 crore Once complete, it will provide seamless east-west connectivity across Mumbai.