The Shantou Bay undersea tunnel recently completed its first blasting, the start of substantial construction of the world's first double-lane high-speed undersea tunnel with designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour.
Contracted by China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), the undersea tunnel is a key section of the Shantou-Shanwei high-speed railway in South China's Guangdong province.
Located in a severe earthquake-intensity area, the 9,781-meter tunnel is to be built through the geological fraction zone, an area of intense boulders and several faults, which will make the digging dangerous and difficult.
The first blasting was done at the tunnel entrance and the No. 2 inclined shaft in Haojiang district of Shantou where there are plants and several busy roads including the Shenyang-Haikou Highway linking Northeast China's Liaoning province and South China's Hainan province as well as some county roads and provincial highways.
To effectively lower the impact on the massif, and on transportation on surrounding roads and highways as well as the lives of local residents and normal production, the blasting was conducted at limited strength to reduce vibration. Moreover, steel shoes were placed at the tunnel opening to stop random rock missiles.
The Shantou-Shanwei high-speed railway is a part of the Guangzhou-Shanwei high-speed railway.
It connects Guangdong cities including Guangzhou, Huizhou, Shanwei and Shantou and links to railways running between Xiamen of Fujian province and Shenzhen of Guangdong, Ganzhou of East China's Jiangxi province and Shenzhen as well as between Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
The railway will play a role in accelerating urbanization in affected areas, promoting construction of a new high-speed economic zone, supporting vitalization of eastern Guangdong, shortening the development gap between eastern Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta region and advancing a balanced and coordinated development of Guangdong's economy.
Planning provides that the Shantou-Shanwei high-speed railway will continue to stretch to the east, connect with the Shantou-Zhangzhou railway and be a part of the high-speed railway network dedicated to passenger transportation that includes the high-speed railways routed between Hangzhou and Wenzhou in East China's Zhejiang province, Hangzhou and Taizhou of Zhejiang, Wenzhou and Fuzhou of Fujian as well as between Fuzhou and Xiamen.
When the railway network is completed, the Shantou high-speed railway station is expected to evolve into a crucial hub and to reduce travel time between Shantou and the Pearl River Delta region.
By then, Shantou will be a part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and a key modern coastal economic zone development area.
The blasting site of the entrance of the Shantou Bay undersea tunnel [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)
