Yunchaojian River Tunnel along Beijing-Tangshan Intercity Railway to be completed

The "Jingtong" shield machine has a total length of about 138 meters, resembling a small train with four different sets of functional flatcars connected in sequence. At the forefront is the massive circular cutter head, which, driven by 16 motors, cuts through soil and rocks, extending the tunnel forward. The subsequent flatcars are responsible for assembling the tunnel segments into place.

Additionally, the cutter head of the shield machine is painted with the image of "Tu'er Ye" (the rabbit god), a symbol of Beijing culture that signifies good fortune and safety. This represents another successful collaboration between traditional culture and major national infrastructure projects.

The "Jingtong" shield machine successfully crossed the 150-meter span of the Yunchaojian River at this location, with only 12 meters between the tunnel crown and the riverbed when the shield machine was working.

According to the staff, the 1,285-meter tunneling of the Yunchaojian River Tunnel will be completed in June this year, and connect with the terminal station in the sub-center, achieving a full-line breakthrough of the Beijing-Tangshan Intercity Railway.