Mumbai’s long-planned Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) is poised to enter a defining stage, with underground excavation expected to begin shortly after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) completes final administrative formalities for launching the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). The move marks a significant transition from preparatory works to large-scale tunnelling and is expected to shape one of the city’s most strategically important east-west transport corridors. The first TBM has been assembled at the Goregaon launch site and is awaiting formal clearance before commencing excavation. The machine will drive the northern tunnel alignment, creating the carriageway that will carry traffic from Goregaon towards Mulund. A second TBM, intended for the parallel tunnel, is still being assembled and is expected to follow after the initial launch.
The GMLR tunnel forms the engineering core of the ₹14,000-crore infrastructure project, which is designed to improve connectivity between Mumbai’s western suburbs and the Eastern Express Highway. Stretching across a 12.2-kilometre corridor, the project combines widened roads, flyovers, elevated sections and a twin underground passage beneath environmentally sensitive terrain. The twin tunnels will extend approximately 6.65 kilometres below the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, traversing beneath forested landscapes, hill formations and the catchment zones of Tulsi and Vihar lakes. Given the ecological significance of the alignment, tunnel boring technology has been adopted to minimise disturbance at the surface compared with conventional open excavation methods. Urban infrastructure specialists note that this approach can significantly reduce land acquisition, preserve green cover and limit disruption to surrounding neighbourhoods during construction. Tunnel Boring Machines are highly specialised mechanical systems that excavate through rock and soil while simultaneously installing concrete lining segments to stabilise the tunnel.
Under the GMLR tunnel package, the two Japanese-manufactured machines are expected to excavate around 4.45 kilometres, with remaining sections to be completed using other construction techniques suited to varying geological conditions. The civic administration has also proposed naming the two TBMs after Tulsi and Vihar, reflecting their proximity to Mumbai’s vital drinking water reservoirs. The proposal is currently under administrative consideration. The GMLR project is being delivered in multiple phases that include road widening, flyover construction in the western suburbs, the underground tunnel section, a road-over-bridge near Nahur and elevated interchanges extending towards Airoli. Once operational, the corridor is expected to reduce travel times between eastern and western Mumbai while offering an alternative route that eases pressure on existing arterial roads.
Urban planners caution, however, that large transport investments should be evaluated not only by reduced journey times but also by their contribution to integrated mobility, environmental protection and long-term urban resilience. As tunnelling begins, sustained monitoring of ecological impacts, groundwater conditions and construction safety will remain essential to ensuring that the project delivers improved connectivity without compromising Mumbai’s sensitive natural assets.
