Deep sea tunnel

A 20-km deep tunnel under the Mumbai-Thane Sea will be the most challenging part of the 500-km High Speed Rail which is expected to be operational from 2023.

Huge boring machines will be used under the seabed, according to engineers at the Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition held October 19-21, 2016.

Confirming the 20-km tunnel, a Japan International Consultants for Transport Co Ltd (JIC) said engineering design for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad project will commence from December this year.

The engineering design, to be worked out over four years, will include a number of other tunnels and bridges, said JIC manager for planning, Tomoaki Sawano.

JIC, which completed the project’s feasibility study last year, will work with a number of engineering consultants and contractors on the design.

Construction of the High Speed Rail is expected to start from 2018, with contracts to be awarded in several packages.

JIC work will including a proposal for 380-km per hour Series E-5 train, which will run at 350-km per hour, completing the 500-km journey, with station stops, in about two hours, said Sawano.

The trains will be supplied by Japanese manufacturers. fii-news.com