Vaishnaw virtually witnesses final bullet train tunnel breakthrough in Maharashtra's Palghar
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New Delhi (PTI): Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday virtually witnessed the final breakthrough of a 1.5-km-long mountain tunnel of the bullet train project in Maharashtra's Palghar district from Rail Bhawan in New Delhi.
"A big milestone has been achieved today. This achievement is the breakthrough of the mountain tunnel 5," Vaishnaw said, while speaking to mediapersons.
"This 1.5-km-long mountain tunnel is among the longest in Palghar district and is located between the Virar and Boisar bullet train stations. It is the second tunnel breakthrough in Maharashtra, as the first 5-km-long underground tunnel between Thane and BKC was completed in September 2025," a Railway Ministry press note said.
The 508-km railway project connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad, which passes through Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, is India's only high-speed rail project designed to operate bullet trains at a speed of 320 kmph.
Once completed, the project will reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to just 1 hour and 58 minutes, connecting and integrating the economies of major commercial centres, according to Vaishnaw.
The project is being executed with technical and financial assistance from the Japanese government.
Officials said it includes eight mountain tunnels, with seven tunnels in Maharashtra having a combined length of about 6.05 km, and one tunnel of 350 metres located in Gujarat.
"The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project has a total length of 508 km, with an overall tunnel length of 27.4 km, of which 21 km comprise underground tunnels and 6.4 km surface tunnels," the ministry said.
The corridor will connect major cities, including Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, Vapi, Boisar, Virar, Thane, and Mumbai, marking a "transformative step in India’s transportation infrastructure", it added.
Vaishnaw said the bullet train project is generating significant employment and will provide additional opportunities during operation.
Responding to a question on whether the E10 Shinkansen, Japan's next-generation high-speed bullet train, can operate on the 508-km Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor, he said it can support the speed of E10 trains as well.
The E10 is capable of running at a speed of 360 kmph.
Vaishnaw reiterated on Thursday that the first phase of the project will be completed in August 2027.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
