Mumbai: The first tunnel boring machine (TBM) to be used for the upcoming Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel project clears factory acceptance test. This will be the largest TBM to be used in Mumbai infrastructure works till date which will be deployed to construct India’s longest urban tunnel.
Factory Acceptance Test Passed
The first of four mega TBMs set to be deployed for the construction of the 11.84 km Thane-Borivali twin tunnel project has successfully passed factory acceptance tests at Herrenknecht’s manufacturing facility in Alinjivakkam, Tamil Nadu. Designated TBM S-1400A, this is the first of four single-shield hard-rock TBMs to be used by Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL) for executing the ambitious project under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
MEIL placed an order for these TBMs from Herrenknecht AG, a renowned German company that manufactures tunnel boring machines. TBM S-1400A was assembled at the factory in Tamil Nadu’s Alinjivakkam, where it passed the factory acceptance tests. This machine will be dismantled and brought to Mumbai, where it will be reassembled and deployed to construct the country’s longest urban tunnel.
About The Tunnel Boring Machines
These TBMs will drive the excavation of twin 10.8 km road tunnels beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), connecting Ekta Nagar in Borivali with Tikuji-Ni-Wadi at Manpada in Thane. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel in July during his visit to Mumbai. The tunnels will feature three lanes each, with a maximum depth of 23 meters below the surface.
To ensure safety and operational efficiency, cross-passages will be constructed every 300 meters, enabling streamlined evacuation and maintenance activities. Each of the four TBMs, including S-1400A, is equipped with a massive 13.2-meter diameter cutterhead, making them the largest deployed in Mumbai to date.
This surpasses the 12.19-meter diameter cutterhead used in the Mumbai Coastal Road Project’s TBM Mavala (DZ636), which successfully built twin tunnels between 2021 and 2023. With TBM S-1400A now cleared for deployment, work on this critical infrastructure project is set to gain momentum, bringing Mumbai closer to a new era of seamless intercity connectivity.
