Arjun TBM Launch Set to Begin Borivali-Thane Tunnel Excavation on Thursday

Work on the second of the twin tunnels connecting Borivali and Ghodbunder Road in Thane is set to commence on Thursday with the official launch of the Arjun tunnel boring machine, according to officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

The infrastructure project is being launched alongside two other transit developments by the authority to significantly boost connectivity between the eastern and western suburbs while reducing travel times along several of the region's most congested corridors.

The twin tunnel project, which runs through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, is expected to cut the journey time between Borivali and Ghodbunder Road in Thane from the current 60 to 90 minutes down to approximately 15 minutes. The entire undertaking comprises two 10.25-kilometre-long tunnels. This includes a 5.75-kilometre excavation phase from the Borivali side and a 6.09-kilometre excavation phase from the Thane side.

In addition to the launch of the Arjun tunnel boring machine for the Borivali-Thane link, Thursday will see the operationalisation of the Metro Line 2B extension from Diamond Garden to Chembur Naka, as well as the Santacruz Chembur Link Road extension reaching the Western Express Highway.

The Metro Line 2B extension builds upon the first phase between Mandale and Diamond Garden, which was operationalised earlier on April 8. The new extension bringing the metro line to Chembur station places it within close proximity to suburban rail and monorail networks. The station is situated around 100 metres from the VN Purav Marg monorail station and roughly 200 metres from the Chembur railway station, designed to provide a more seamless interchange between the three transit systems and improve access to Chembur, the Harbour line, and south Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the Santacruz Chembur Link Road extension consists of a 500-metre, four-lane elevated carriageway paired with a 90-metre two-lane ramp at both ends. This development provides a direct road link between Vakola Junction on the Western Express Highway and Bharat Nagar in the Bandra Kurla Complex, effectively bypassing the heavily congested Kalanagar junction.