Archive · 6 Aug 2026
MMRDA to Launch Second TBM 'Arjuna' for Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel
Mumbai is building a very long underground road called a tunnel.
When it is finished, it will be the longest road tunnel in all of India.
To build it, workers use giant machines that chew through solid rock under the ground.
These machines are called Tunnel Boring Machines, or TBMs for short.
The first machine, named Nayak, started digging in April.
Now the second machine, named Arjuna, is getting ready to start digging too.
The tunnel will pass beneath a big protected forest park called Sanjay Gandhi National Park, so the machines are designed to limit damage to nature.
Right now, driving between Thane and Borivali can take more than an hour.
When the tunnel opens, the same trip should take only about 15 minutes.
That helps people travel faster, eases traffic, and cuts pollution.
MMRDA is set to launch 'Arjuna', the second Tunnel Boring Machine for the Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel, likely within days or on August 15.
The first TBM, 'Nayak', was commissioned in April and has begun excavation from the Thane end of the project.
Borivali-end tunnelling will begin later because land acquisition is still underway, with around 15 to 20 project-affected families yet to be relocated.
The 11.84-km project will become India's longest urban road tunnel, connecting Tikuji-Ni-Wadi at Manpada in Thane with Ekta Nagar in Borivali.
The tunnel is expected to cut Thane-Borivali travel time from one to one-and-a-half hours to about 15 minutes and carry nearly 80,000 vehicles daily by 2029.
- Who
- Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which has deployed the first TBM 'Nayak' and is launching the second TBM 'Arjuna' from the Thane end.
- What
- The launch of the second Tunnel Boring Machine 'Arjuna' for the Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel, which will be India's longest urban road tunnel.
- When
- Expected within a few days, possibly August 15; the first TBM 'Nayak' was commissioned in April.
- Where
- Mumbai, between Tikuji-Ni-Wadi at Manpada in Thane and Ekta Nagar in Borivali, running beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
- Why
- To reduce travel time and congestion between Thane and Borivali, improve east-west connectivity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and lower vehicular emissions.
- Project
- Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel
- Implementing Authority
- Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)
- Total Length
- 11.84 km (10.25 km twin tunnels + 1.59 km approach connectors)
- TBM Details
- Second TBM 'Arjuna' launching; first TBM 'Nayak' commissioned in April; four TBMs planned in total
- Cutterhead Diameter
- 13.2 metres per TBM
- Estimated Travel Time
- About 15 minutes (currently 1-1.5 hours via Ghodbunder Road)
- Projected Traffic
- Nearly 80,000 vehicles daily by 2029
- Compensatory Plantation
- Around 11,000 trees