Mumbai to get India’s largest tunnel boring machines in January; tunnelling to begin by May 2027
Mumbai's next major underground road link is set to begin construction in January 2027, with the arrival of two of India's largest tunnel boring machines (TBMs). The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has successfully completed the factory acceptance test of these machines in Chennai. These 15.6-meter diameter TBMs, manufactured by Herrenknecht from Germany, will dig the 3.9-km twin tunnels between Malad and Kandivali, forming a crucial part of the 22.93-km Mumbai Coastal Road North project.
The tunnels will run around 40 meters below the surface, connecting Mindspace in Malad with Charkop in Kandivali. The BMC has chosen slurry TBMs for their ability to operate in unstable, water-bearing ground conditions, a requirement due to the proximity of creeks and mangrove areas. The first TBM is expected to commence tunnelling by May 2027, after assembly at the Charkop site.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
