Tunnelling work has commenced for the 11.84-km Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel, set to be India’s longest urban road tunnel, marking a key milestone in Mumbai’s infrastructure development.
As per a post shared by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on social media platform X, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Nayak’—the country’s largest single-shield hard rock TBM for an urban tunnel—was launched by Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. The event was attended by Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, among other dignitaries. A second TBM, ‘Arjuna’, is expected to be launched soon.
The project will connect Ghodbunder in Thane to the Western Express Highway in Borivali, reducing travel time from 60–90 minutes to about 15 minutes. The alignment passes beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and is being executed using advanced TBM technology to minimise ground disturbance.
Each tunnel will feature three lanes, including a dedicated emergency lane, with cross-passages every 300 metres. The tunnels will also be equipped with advanced ventilation systems, firefighting infrastructure, smoke detectors, and LED signboards.
Once completed, the project is expected to ease congestion, reduce emissions, and enable faster, more efficient connectivity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, as per MMRDA's post on X.