By rosebell
As a key project for the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High Speed Railway, the Chongtai Yangtze River Tunnel successfully hosted China’s latest intelligent shield tunneling technology.
With the aim of significantly improving the efficiency and quality of the construction, the shield tunnel intelligent construction V2.0 system was integrated into the Pioneer shield machine after working for more than 2,000m.
Totally covering 14.25km and including a 13.20km-long shield section, the Chongtai Yangtze River Tunnel is the world’s fastest underwater tunnel and has been designed for speeds of 350km/h.
While the responsibility of managing this tunnel is up to Shanghai-Hangzhou High-Speed Railway Passenger Transport Co, Ltd, it has been constructed by China Railway Tunnel Group (CRTG) and is features a single-bore double-track design, with a shield diameter of 15.4m and an outer diameter of the tunnel segments of 14.8m, making it the world’s largest diameter high-speed rail shield tunnel.
Linking Chongming District in Shanghai with Taicang City in Jiangsu Province, this tunnel is located at the deepest point of the Yangtze River with a maximum water pressure of 0.9 Mpa.
The construction of the tunnel has involved the development and application of nine major intelligent construction technologies, including intelligent perception, design, prefabrication, excavation, installation, construction, environmental control, transportation, as well as management and it includes a single-headed excavation distance of 11.325km, that is the longest in the world. An intelligent factory has been established for the automated production of shield tunnel segments and arc segments, marking China’s first arc segment production line.
Following digging over than 2,600m, this fully intelligent Pioneer shield machine is now crossing the Yangtze River knifefish germplasm resource protection area with autonomous, safe, and stable attended but unmanned operation.
While Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High Speed Railway is a vital part of China’s eight vertical and eight horizontal high-speed railway network, the advantages of completing the Chongtai Yangtze River Tunnel are due to be enabling high-speed trains to cross the Yangtze River without slowing down for the first time, creating a new fast channel between the Shanghai metropolitan area and the Nanjing metropolitan area.
The project is crucial for implementing the national Belt and Road initiative, optimising the railway network layout along the Yangtze River, and promoting integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta.
