GMLR TBM Tulsi Excavates First Nine Metres of Twin Tunnels Under SGNP

The first tunnel boring machine for Phase 3(B) of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road has successfully excavated its first nine metres for the twin tunnels beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation announced on Wednesday. The underground stretch will connect Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in Goregaon East with Amar Nagar in Mulund West.

The initial nine-metre excavation was carried out by the tunnel boring machine named Tulsi, which was commissioned on August 17. The overall underground component involves constructing twin three-lane tunnels spanning a 5.30-kilometre stretch beneath the national park.

Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar visited the project site on Wednesday to inspect the tunnelling methodology, assess excavation progress, review technical aspects, and examine safety protocols.

"At present, nine meters of excavation has been completed and necessary measures will be taken immediately to maintain the pace of the work and additional manpower will be made available as required," Bangar said during the inspection. "At the same time, clear instructions are given to concerned officials to strictly implement safety rules by giving top priority to the safety of the workers as the work of tunnel excavation is highly technical and challenging."

Work is also underway on the second tunnel boring machine. According to civic officials, 70 per cent of the assembly of its components is complete. Authorities have directed the project team to finalize the entire assembly by September 30, 2026. Following completion, a Site Acceptance Test is scheduled to begin on October 1 to verify that all systems operate safely and cohesively before underground excavation starts.

The Rs 14,000-crore Goregaon-Mulund Link Road project spans a total length of 12.2 kilometres, establishing a direct east-west corridor between the western suburbs and the Eastern Express Highway. The initiative is divided into four distinct phases, starting with road widening, followed by flyover construction in the western suburbs alongside the tunnel boring operations. The third phase includes a road-over-bridge at Nahur, leading to a final phase featuring an elevated flyover with clover-leaf interchanges reaching Airoli. The entire infrastructure project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2028.