CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- The Second Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway, the key project of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone development, started the excavation of its first tunnel, Huanglianbao Tunnel, on March 30, which marked a great development in the construction of the whole line, according to Yangtze River Coastal Railway Group Chongqing Co., Ltd.

With a main line of 292 kilometers and a design speed of 350 km/h, the Second Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway start at Chongqing North Station, passing through Chongqing’s Yubei District, Shapingba District, Bishan District, Tongliang District, Dazu District, and Sichuan’s Ziyang City and Chengdu City in a westerly direction, and end at Chengdu Station, constituting a significant part of the riverside railways of China’s high-speed railway network (eight vertical and eight horizontal high-speed railways). On its completion, the Second Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway will further improve the network of riverside railways, contribute to a multilevel transportation corridor along the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and greatly increase the capacity and service quality of Chengdu-Chongqing transport.

Huanglianbao Tunnel is a single two-lane tunnel located in Dazu District, with a total length of 821 meters and a design speed of 350 km/h. “Since the tunnel started construction, we took all factors into consideration, scientifically made an overall plan, and massed outstanding builders, machinery, and raw materials in Tongliang District,” said Wu Yueguang, manager of the project department of the Second Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway Lot III Project under China Railway No.5 Engineering Group. He added, they had started the construction of residential areas, test laboratories, concrete mixing stations, steel processing yards, and sidewalks on December 2, 2022, optimized the construction process and techniques, and paid close attention to the procedure connection during the tunneling process, and finally safely completed tunneling.

After the Second Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway is completed, it will connect with the operative Xi'an-Chengdu High-speed Railway and Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway as well as lines under construction, like the Xining-Chengdu High-speed Railway, Chengdu-Dazhou-Wanzhou High-speed Railway, Xi'an-Chongqing High-speed Railway, Chongqing-Kunming High-speed Railway, and Chongqing-Wanzhou High-speed Railway to form a more mature and well-shaped Chengdu-Chongqing transport network that frees up travel time and offer convenient travel for passengers. It is also significant to the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone and a new phase of western development. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)