Engineers operate the tunnel boring machine to begin construction of the Suzhou East Tunnel in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on Thursday. (LIU FUCHANG/FOR CHINA DAILY)

工程师们开始苏州东隧道的施工。

Shield tunneling began on the Suzhou East Tunnel high-speed railway project in East China on Thursday, marking a milestone in the construction of the country's longest urban high-speed railway tunnel, said China Railway's 14th Bureau Group, which is building the tunnel.

4月18日10时16分，在阳澄湖畔苏州东隧道施工现场，伴随着“始发”指令的下达，中铁十四局“通甬园梦号”盾构机刀盘开始缓缓转动，标志着全国最长城市高铁隧道——南通至宁波高铁苏州东隧道正式开始盾构掘进，项目建设取得重大进展。

When completed, the tunnel, in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, will extend for 15.57 kilometers and be used by trains traveling at up to 350 kilometers per hour.

隧道全长15.57公里，采用单洞双线设计，里程最长的时速350公里。

It is the highest standard and longest urban high-speed railway tunnel under construction in China.

是中国在建的最高标准的城市高铁隧道，被誉为“中国城市高铁第一隧”。

The tunnel, next to Yangcheng Lake, will pass beneath three railways, two subways, four rivers and lakes, more than 20 important city roads and several buildings. It will be up to 58 meters underground and will have to bear a great deal of pressure said Qu Kejun, an engineer with the group.

该盾构机掘进施工紧邻阳澄湖，地下水系丰富，超大直径盾构施工需依次下穿3条铁路、2条地铁、4处河流湖泊、20余条重要市政道路、多处建构筑物等，长距离在软土、高水压、高渗透砂性地层穿行，最大埋深达58米。

"Our team has tailored a large-diameter shield tunneling machine for this project — the Tongyong Yuanmeng tunnel boring machine. It is domestically produced, and also one of the most intelligent tunnel boring machines in China," he said.

为保证盾构机长距离安全高效掘进，建设管理单位沪杭客专公司组织施工单位中铁十四局通甬高铁项目部量身打造目前国内智能化程度最高的“通甬园梦号”超大直径泥水平衡盾构机。

The machine, with a diameter of 14.81 meters, is about as tall as a five-story building. With a total length of 134 meters and weight of 4,200 metric tons, the machine has been specifically designed to adapt to ultra-long distances and resist pressure and corrosion, he said.

该盾构机开挖直径14.81米，总长134米，总重4200吨，装机总功率达10000千瓦，在刀盘结构、刀具类型、驱动密封、耐压耐腐蚀等方面进行了针对性提升。

It uses several domestically developed cutting-edge technologies including advanced geological forecasting and automatic monitoring.

该盾构机采用超前地质预报系统、可伸缩主驱动、刀盘刀具自动监测系统、同步双液注浆、高承压盾尾、整体式全预制箱涵、同步推拼等多项国内领先核心技术。

The tunnel will be part of a railway linking Nantong in Jiangsu and Ningbo in Zhejiang province, an important part of the coastal corridor of China's high-speed railway network. Upon completion, the new line will link with several operational high-speed railways including the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway and the Shanghai-Kunming High-Speed Railway. It will further improve the railway network in the Yangtze River Delta region, playing a crucial role in promoting the high-quality integrated development of the area.

通甬高铁是我国“八纵八横”高铁网沿海通道的重要组成部分，路网地位十分重要。项目建成后，将与已开通运营的盐城至南通高铁、京沪高铁、沪宁沿江高铁、沪昆高铁、宁波至台州至温州高铁等多条线路相连，进一步完善长三角地区路网结构布局，对于推进长三角高质量一体化发展具有十分重要的意义。

Source: China Daily

Editor: ChenDawei

Senior Editor: Pang Bo