World's largest high-speed rail shield machine breaks through Yangtze River tunnel

(ECNS)— The world's largest-diameter shield tunneling machine, tailored for high-speed railway projects and developed domestically in China, holed through an underwater tunnel traversing the Yangtze River on Thursday. 

The breakthrough marks the completion of the under-river section of the Chongtai Yangtze River Tunnel, a 14.25-kilometer project linking Shanghai’s Chongming District with Taicang in Jiangsu Province. 

The project will allow a high-speed train to run beneath the Yangtze River at a full speed of 350 km per hour without slowing down for the first time. 

The full completion of the entire tunnel is scheduled by the end of 2026.

Once put into operation, the project will end the island district of Chongming's lack of high-speed rail access and cut travel time from Chongming via Taicang to Shanghai's Baoshan Railway Station to just 17 minutes, significantly improving regional transportation connectivity, according to Xinhua News Agency.

(By Helen Mo, intern Wu Jingjing)