Tunnelling has passed the 5km mark on the Chongtai Yangtze River Tunnel.
The CREG TBM, named Linghang, reached the milestone on the Shanghai–Chongqing–Chengdu high-speed railway last week. The 15.4m diameter TBM, developed in partnership with China Railway Tunnel Group, is now just 660m from the centre point of the river.
The Chongtai Yangtze River Tunnel drive is 11.3km long and 89m at the deepest point. Linghang has progressed at an average of 600m a month, with a record month’s advance of 718m.
Designed for trains to travel at 350km/h, the Chongtai Yangtze River Tunnel will be the world’s fastest underwater tunnel and will enable high-speed trains to cross the Yangtze River without slowing down for the first time.
The new line, which is part of China’s “eight vertical and eight horizontal” high-speed railway network, will provide a faster connection for the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing, Hefei, Wuhan, Chongqing and Chengdu.
