CRCC Ensures Overseas Projects on Schedule

Overseas projects of China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) resumed production and are on schedule amid the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP), aiming to stabilize international industrial chains.

Ten new-type passenger locomotives and 16 electric multiple unit (EMU) train cars for the Abuja-Kaduna Railway and the Lagos-Ibadan Railway in Nigeria were recently berthed at the port of Lagos and are expected to be delivered to the railways by the end of February. The cars will help improve the railway's service capacity.

Two locomotives are ready to be delivered. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

As Chinese staff members responsible for transport of the locomotive and cars have to be in quarantine for 14 days because of the NCP, a renewed transport plan was made to ensure the vehicles can be delivered on time.

The first double-line railway in West Africa built to Chinese standards, the Lagos-Ibadan Railway is also CRCC's largest overseas project still under construction.

The railway is to open to traffic soon and all staff members are working hard towards that day.

On the other side of the world, in Fiji, the Kiuva-Kaba Peninsular Road, contracted by CRCC's subsidiary China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), recently opened to traffic. 

The first constructed by CCECC in the country, the road ended the days when residents in affected areas could only travel on foot and by boat.

Other subsidiaries of CRCC also make progress in their overseas projects despite the outbreak of NCP in China which has dragged down transport and production of needed materials.

China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co., Ltd. established a daily mechanism to report NCP development in its overseas projects and purchased materials from a third country market to guarantee on-schedule progress.

The supporting construction of the institute of technology in Malawi is expected to complete in June and other projects including the road construction in Niger, the Dapilon-Santou Railway project in the Republic of Guinea and the highway project in Algeria are also running smoothly.

China Railway 15 Bureau Group Co., Ltd. keeps operation of the sleeper base in Laos moving forward by relying on stored material and strengthened training of local employees to accelerate production. The company also adjusted engineering processes to improve output.

Laos' employees are taking training courses. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

Overseas offices of China Railway 16th Bureau Group Co., Ltd. also adjusted construction plans to guarantee overseas projects' development.

The first tunnel boring machine (TBM) at the metro line project in southwest Moscow, Russia, recently started operation and another three TBMs are to operate by the end of March. Four road construction projects in Kazakhstan also resumed production.

Staff members at the project department of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway publicize information about preventing and controlling of NCP to local people and epidemic prevention materials have been prepared for train crews and inspectors, which guarantees highly efficient and safe international travel.

China Railway 18 Bureau Group Co., Ltd. has never stopped operation since the outbreak of NCP. The company won the bid for renovation and construction of two roads in Nigeria at the beginning of 2020. 

Valued at about 158 million yuan ($22.56 million), the projects have a total length of 84.49 kilometers and will become a traffic artery in the region for materials transport and travel.

What's more, the company is also participating in Dapilon-Santou Railway construction and has completed the first pile and abutment. It is now working on construction of 36 culverts and the bridge structure.

The Dapilon-Santou Railway under construction [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

China Railway 20th Bureau Group Co., Ltd completed the housing project in Algeria's Blida province and delivered 5,000 houses to their buyer. The main bodies of another 2,000 houses have been done and the decorations are close to be finished. It is expected that the houses will be delivered in June this year.

During Spring Festival, 13 international engineers and 108 local engineers of China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd. stayed at their posts to ensure progress of highway construction in northern Sri Lanka.

During the outbreak of NCP, the company compiled information on personnel who traveled to the country and prepared enough anti-virus items to ensure employees' health.

A tunnel boring machine (TBM) was packed at the Changsha First Industrial Park of China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation Limited (CRCHI), and was ready for shipping to Turkey on Feb 10, the first work day after the outbreak of NCP.

The 110-meter long earth pressure balance TBM has an excavation diameter of 5.36 meters and will be used to dig in extremely hard strata to create a 9,000-meter tunnel.

With a high-duty five-wheel disk-structured cutter, the machine is powered by six 160 kW variable frequency motors, has obtained CE certification and meets requirements for export to Europe.

The tunnel boring machine (TBM) packed on Feb 10 is ready for shipping to Turkey. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

A subsidiary of CRCC – China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Limited – also made achievements in its overseas projects during the outbreak of NCP.

The company signed a business contract on construction of a tourism resort's flats which will improve reception and commercial tenant settling capacity on the Genting Highlands – the largest highland summer resort in Southeast Asia – and increase local tourism income.

More than 4,300 builders expert in over 20 technical fields from more than 10 countries are keeping to their posts on the Lusail Stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar, despite the outbreak of NCP. So far, the basic frame of the main steel structure has emerged.

The Lusail Stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar, is under construction. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

China Railway Urban Construction Group Co., Ltd. is participating in construction of the San Pedro Stadium in Cote d'Ivoire, a main stadium of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. To guarantee and support the project, the company recruited more than 80 local employees and purchased 1,100 tons of steel pipes as well as 10,000 pieces of templates from sources in the country.

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)