Shield machine achieves Yangtze tunnel milestone

陈小将

The world's largest-diameter shield machine for constructing high-speed railway tunnels, independently developed by China, marks its 10,000-meter tunneling milestone under the Yangtze River on Tuesday. With only 1,000 meters remaining to the southern bank of the Yangtze, the boring operation is expected to conclude in late 2026. PHOTO BY GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY

The world's largest-diameter shield machine for constructing high-speed railway tunnels, independently developed by China, marked its 10,000-meter tunneling milestone under the Yangtze River on Tuesday, achieving a giant stride for a project that aims to develop a faster transportation channel between Shanghai and Jiangsu province.

With only 1,000 meters remaining to the southern bank of the Yangtze, the boring operation is expected to conclude in late 2026, paving the way for the completion of a 14.25-kilometer vital link connecting Shanghai's Chongming district with the city of Taicang in Jiangsu.

Upon completion, the Chongming-Taicang tunnel will allow high-speed trains to cross the river at 350 km per hour, which will significantly shorten the travel time between cities in the Yangtze River Delta region, including Nanjing in Jiangsu and Hefei in Anhui province, and is expected to better support the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Purpose-built for the high-speed railway tunnel project, the shield machine — named Linghang — features the world's largest cutting wheel with a diameter of 15.4 meters. The machine is 148 meters long and weighs about 4,000 metric tons.