World's Longest Tunnel Built in Frozen Soil Area Opens to Traffic on Oct 19, 2002

Fenghuoshan Tunnel, the world's longest tunnel built in a frozen soil area opens to traffic on Oct 19, 2002. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

Fenghuoshan Tunnel, constructed by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), opened to traffic on Oct 19, 2002. The tunnel, with a total length of 1,338 meters and a maximum depth of 100 meters, is a key control project of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

The tunnel is located at an altitude of 4,900 meters, where the annual average temperature is minus 7 degrees Celsius and the lowest temperature is minus 40 degrees Celsius. The oxygen content of the air is only 50 percent that of sea level.

The builders' overcoming of the technical difficulties presented by the plateau's frozen soil was evaluated by the Ministry of Science and Technology as one of the top ten scientific and technological events in China in 2002.

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)