Mumbai, Jan. 2 -- The Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the breakthrough of the second mountain tunnel in Palghar, Maharashtra, on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project.

The 1.5-km-long MT-5 tunnel, situated between Virar and Boisar stations, is the first mountain tunnel in Maharashtra for the project and among the longest in Palghar district. It was excavated from both ends over 18 months using a state-of-the-art drill-and-blast technique.

MAHSR Corridor Overview

The MAHSR corridor spans 508 km, including 27.4 km of tunnels-21 km underground and 6.4 km surface tunnels-comprising eight mountain tunnels. Maharashtra hosts seven of these tunnels, with a combined length of around 6.05 km, while Gujarat ...