Mumbai News: First TBM Arrives For Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Twin Tunnels Project, BMC Starts Excavation At Film City Launch Shaft

**Mumbai: Arrival of First Tunnel Boring Machine for Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Project**

The final shipment of the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for the twin tunnels under the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project has arrived at Film City, Goregaon East. The second TBM is expected to arrive by December. Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has begun excavation of the launching shaft, with digging currently reaching a depth of 3.5 meters.

### Assembly and Launching Shaft Details

According to senior civic officials, several containers carrying parts of the first TBM have already been delivered, with the final shipment arriving recently. The equipment, shipped from Japan, is being unloaded at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and transported to the project site via trailers.

With all components now on-site, assembly of the TBM will commence and is expected to take around four months. Tunneling work for the GMLR project is scheduled to begin in August 2026.

The launching shaft, measuring 200 meters long, 50 meters wide, and 35 meters deep, will serve as the entry point for lowering and assembling the TBMs. The BMC has also secured approximately 10,000 square meters of space at Josh Maidan, provided by Film City authorities, for stacking and assembling TBM components.

Prior to tunneling, approximately 3 lakh cubic meters of earth will be excavated to prepare the site for TBM operations, according to civic sources.

### GMLR Project Overview

Under Phase 3(B) of the Rs 6,500 crore GMLR project, a 6.65-kilometer corridor will be developed. This includes a 1.22-kilometer triple-lane box tunnel at Film City and twin tunnels beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

The tunnels will start at Film City in Goregaon East and emerge at Amar Junction in Mulund, currently a densely populated slum area. Of the total length, 5.30 kilometers will be excavated using TBMs, while the remaining 1.35 kilometers will consist of approach roads and the box tunnel.

The twin tunnels will run at depths ranging from 20 to 160 meters below ground and will feature cross-passages every 300 meters.

Designed to pass beneath the ecologically sensitive and topographically complex terrain of SGNP—including hillocks, forest areas, and farmlands—the tunnels will be excavated using two TBMs, both commencing operations from the launching shaft at Film City.

### Project Timeline and Benefits

The BMC aims to complete the twin tunnels by October 2028. The entire 12.2-kilometer Goregaon-Mulund Link Road will connect the Western Express Highway at Goregaon with the Eastern Express Highway at Mulund, drastically reducing travel time from 75 minutes to just 25 minutes.

The project, being executed in four phases, has an estimated total cost of Rs 14,000 crore. Once complete, it will provide seamless east-west connectivity across Mumbai, significantly improving commutes and boosting infrastructure in the region.

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https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-news-first-tbm-arrives-for-goregaon-mulund-link-road-twin-tunnels-project-bmc-starts-excavation-at-film-city-launch-shaft