The completion of the Tongchuan tunnel along the Xi’an-Yan’an High-Speed Railway, a remarkable feat achieved by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited, signifies a significant milestone as it becomes the final tunnel of the 47 along this high-speed railway to be successfully drilled through.
Stretching approximately 300 kilometers, the Xi’an-Yan’an High-Speed Railway will allow trains to run at the speed of 350 km per hour. It is an important component of the Baotou (Yinchuan)–Haikou Corridor, part of China’s high-speed rail network.
The railway connects Xi’an, Fuping, Luochuan, and Yan’an, linking historical and revolutionary landmarks, and integrates with the Xi’an-Chongqing High-Speed Railway and Yan’an-Yulin High-Speed Railway to form a vital north-south corridor in Shaanxi Province’s high-speed rail network.
The railway traverses the challenging terrain of northern Shaanxi, where the elevation gradually increases from south to north. It features 169.3 km of tunnels, accounting for 92 percent of the total route, and crosses diverse geological formations, including loess plateaus, ravine regions and low-to-medium mountainous areas. The construction faced challenges such as long stretches of shallow loess coverage and multiple underground structures, making tunnel excavation particularly complex.
The Tongchuan Tunnel in Yaozhou District, Tongchuan City, is a single-bore, double-track tunnel spanning 11,098 meters, with a maximum depth of 165 meters. Classified as a Level II high-risk tunnel, its construction overcame major challenges such as deformation of support structures and collapses.
Throughout tunnel construction, the project team developed a specialized approach and conducted comprehensive risk assessments and dynamically adjusted support parameters to enhance safety and efficiency.
Once operational, the railway will shorten the distance between Xi’an and Yan’an from 2.5 hours to around one hour.
(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)
