Fadnavis Launches Second TBM Arjuna for Thane-Borivali Twin-Tunnel Project
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday launched 'Arjuna', the second tunnel boring machine for the Thane-Borivali twin-tunnel road project. The inauguration took place via a video link from the Sahyadri Guest House in south Mumbai, with Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and other officials present.
The twin-tunnel project is being constructed to establish a direct east-west road connection between Thane and Borivali. The new route is expected to significantly improve transit between the two areas, cutting travel time from the current 60 to 90 minutes down to approximately 12 to 15 minutes.
'Arjuna' is the second TBM deployed for the project, following the launch of the first machine, named 'Nayak', in April. Fadnavis stated that after overcoming various obstacles, both TBMs will now be deployed simultaneously from their respective sides to accelerate the underground tunnelling work.
Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis highlighted that these infrastructure additions are crucial for improving mobility and connectivity in the Mumbai metropolitan region. The project is being implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority alongside other agencies to reduce traffic congestion.
Alongside the tunnel machine launch, Fadnavis inaugurated the final BKC-Vakola arm of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road Phase-2 on Bharat Nagar Road, designed to regulate traffic moving out of BKC. He noted that while six connectivity links were initially planned in 2017-18 to decongest the Bandra-Kurla Complex area, eight links were ultimately created, with the final link launched during Thursday's event. An elevated connector in the G-Block area of BKC was also inaugurated to provide faster connectivity for motorists.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the Chembur Metro station on Metro Line 2B and announced that an infrastructure facility was named after former Maharashtra chief minister Babasaheb Bhosale at the event. Additionally, Fadnavis welcomed the Union government's decision to procure 238 new air-conditioned suburban local trains under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project, with the first batch expected by 2027 and full delivery targeted for 2029-30.
