1 week ago
Mumbai Tunnel TBM Crosses Seven Live Railway Tracks Safely
A giant machine is digging a road tunnel under Mumbai.
It passed underneath seven railway tracks that were still being used by trains.
The trains kept running normally during the work.
The machine dug 54 metres in five days during the railway crossing.
Engineers watched the tracks and the tunnel all day and night.
A railway maintenance team and safety officials also helped monitor the operation.
The project will build two tunnels between Orange Gate and Marine Drive.
When finished, the journey between those places is expected to take about five minutes.
MMRDA’s south-bound tunnel boring machine crossed beneath seven operational Central and Harbour Railway tracks without disrupting train services.
The railway corridor handles more than 240 train movements daily, while the TBM passed approximately 23 metres below the railway area.
The machine completed 54 metres of continuous tunnelling over five days during the crossing operation.
Round-the-clock instrumentation, survey monitoring, railway safety protocols and a 10-person Permanent Way team supported the work.
The twin-tunnel project will connect Orange Gate and Marine Drive, with the first tunnel planned at about 3.45 kilometres and up to 52 metres deep.
- Who
- The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, working with Central Railway and the Commission of Railway Safety, carried out the operation.
- What
- A south-bound tunnel boring machine crossed beneath seven operational railway tracks without interrupting train services.
- Where
- Approximately 23 metres beneath a Central and Harbour Railway corridor in Mumbai, along the Orange Gate–Marine Drive alignment.
- When
- The crossing was reported on August 21, 2026; the project’s main tunnelling drive began on February 28, 2026, and progress was measured at March 26, 2026.
- Why
- The crossing is part of a twin underground road-tunnel project intended to improve east-west connectivity, reduce surface congestion, and connect with the Coastal Road and Atal Setu.
Key facts
- Project
- Orange Gate–Marine Drive Urban Road Tunnel Project
- Railway tracks crossed
- Seven operational Central and Harbour Railway tracks
- Daily railway activity
- More than 240 train movements
- TBM crossing depth
- Approximately 23 metres below the railway area
- Crossing progress
- 54 metres of continuous mining in five days
- Main drive progress
- 70 metres excavated by March 26, 2026, out of a planned 3,720-metre drive
- Planned travel time
- About five minutes between Orange Gate and Marine Drive
Quotes
MMRDA
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, the project authority
“24X7 instrumentation and survey monitoring, strict railway safety protocols and close coordination with Central Railway and Commission of Railway Safety.”
financialexpress.com
“Complex tunnelling below. Mumbai moving as usual above.”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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