An innovative achievement was reached in South China on Friday 15th of March with the completion of the construction of an undersea tunnel for a high-speed railway. The completion of the Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel lays a solid foundation for the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang High-Speed Railway, expected to be operational by the end of 2025. The tunnel was under construction for 33 months.
The Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel is a critical component of the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang High-speed Railway, while its completion set a new benchmark for infrastructure in China, as it is the longest single-headed undersea high-speed railway shield tunnel. More specifically, the tunnel has a total length of 9640m, with a shield section to be equal to 7551m. The tunnel is designed as a single tunnel with double tracks, traversing the seabed of the Zhanjiang Bay and the urban area of Zhanjiang.
The construction company used the Yongxing tunnel boring machine to excavate a 2,500-meter sea section and a 5,051-meter land section. Specifically, the Yongxing shield tunneling machine that they used, has a 14.33m diameter, delved as deep as 50m beneath the water during construction, facing immense pressure. It achieved an average excavation speed of 260m per month, with a record of 510m per month.
In addition, China Railway's 14th Bureau Group, the company which is responsible for the tunnel's construction, explained that the single-headed shield method was chosen for safety and efficiency in the complex geological conditions and highlighted the advantages of building a tunnel instead of a bridge. This decision includes preserving the urban skyline and marine ecological environment, as well as mitigating the impact of typhoons on high-speed rail operations.
Sources: chinadaily.com.cn, ecns.cn, ecns.cn
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