Gadkari Urges Industry to Build Indigenous Tunnel Boring Machines Amid Chinese Export Restrictions
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari urged Indian engineering enterprises to manufacture tunnel boring machines domestically to support upcoming infrastructure projects. Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry's National Conference in New Delhi, the minister stated that domestic manufacturers should focus on developing indigenous capabilities. Gadkari highlighted an estimated ₹7-8 lakh crore investment opportunity dedicated toward subterranean tunneling initiatives over the next five years. The proposed capital investments are expected to support underground tunnel construction across metro rail systems, national highways, and hydroelectric power plants. The policy appeal comes as India expands transportation infrastructure, with specialised construction equipment becoming an important requirement in difficult terrain. Gadkari argued that expanding domestic tunnel-boring machine manufacturing could help meet demand from rail, road, metro and power projects. Gadkari said highway construction can reduce travel times and improve freight movement, tourism and employment.
The minister noted that the newly constructed Delhi-Dehradun corridor had reduced travel time between the two major cities from seven hours to two hours. He added that upcoming roadway projects scheduled to open shortly would further improve connectivity between Delhi and Haridwar. Gadkari said visitor traffic to Uttarakhand religious destinations had tripled as the Char Dham highway project progressed; the figures are his assessment. The minister cited the economic benefits of public works allocations, noting that every ₹100 spent on infrastructure generates an economic impact of ₹325. Gadkari explained that major arterial corridors like the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway link rural, aspirational, and tribal districts directly with metropolitan commercial markets. The minister noted that China is preparing to introduce new export controls on critical infrastructure equipment effective November 18, impacting global supply chains. Because nationwide infrastructure initiatives require extensive underground tunneling for transit networks and power facilities, equipment access dictates project milestones.
In 2024, customs clearance for tunnel boring equipment built by Germany's Herrenknecht at Chinese plants became a bottleneck for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, prompting Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to raise Chinese export blocks with German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck in October 2024.
The Centre is moving toward an incentive scheme for construction and infrastructure equipment announced in the 2026-27 budget, according to Procupy News.
An industry article from Procupy News estimates China’s global tunnel-boring machine market share at about 70%; this is not an independently audited figure.
China's export controls announced by the Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs take effect on November 18, requiring government approvals for sensitive destinations and registration with end-use declarations for others across tunnel boring machines, key components, walking excavators, and wet shotcrete machines, according to Procupy News.
Indian Railways intends to execute 51 ventures encompassing 695 underground passages stretching 1,150 km, with 326 km already finalized and over 800 km remaining alongside 410 large bridges, according to NBM Media.
Officials have also discussed expanding Indian capacity to produce specialised tunnel excavation equipment for transport projects. Gadkari urged the industry to develop domestic large-diameter tunnel-boring equipment; the reporting did not establish that new production lines were already operational. Public sector manufacturer Bharat Earth Movers Limited initiated discussions with overseas technical partners to establish domestic manufacturing capacity. Gadkari cited an estimated ₹7–8 lakh crore in tunnelling-related opportunities over the coming five years; that figure is a ministerial estimate, not an approved allocation. Domestic engineering representatives reiterated the necessity of creating sovereign manufacturing ecosystems for heavy excavation equipment.
Herrenknecht, the world's largest maker of heavy tunnel boring machines, has assembled and refurbished machines in Chennai since 2007-08, according to Procupy News.