China turns out self-developed tunnel-boring machine

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China's largest-diameter, self-developed tunnel boring machine has officially rolled off the production line in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, October 31, 2024. /CFP

China rolled out its largest self-developed tunnel-boring machine on Thursday.

The machine, capable of excavating up to 16.64 meters in diameter, was manufactured in Changsha, Hunan Province, through a collaboration between China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (CRCHI) and China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

The machine measures 145 meters in length and weighs approximately 5,000 tonnes, with a cutterhead diameter equivalent to a five or six-story building. According to CRCHI chairman Zhao Hui, this development marks a major achievement in the industrialization of 16-meter-class, large-diameter tunnel boring technology in China.

The tunnel-boring machine will be used in a large-scale tunneling project beneath the Yangtze River, creating a major trans-river road link between Nantong and Taicang in Jiangsu Province. Once completed, this project is expected to strengthen road networks and support integrated development in the Yangtze River Delta, boosting regional connectivity and economic growth.

(With input from Xinhua)