Construction works on what is said to be China’s longest single-bore, double-track railway tunnel is complete according to China Railway No.2 Group. The firm notes that the 23km-long Desheng tunnel took 10 years to build and sits at 3,000m above sea level.
The tunnel is part of the Chengdu-Huangshengguan section of the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway. Passenger trains on the section are expected to travel at speeds of up to 200km/h and freight trains at up to 120km/h.
Designed with the assistance of China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group, the tunnel’s maximum buried depth is 750m. It is close to an active fault zone and passes through 17 parasitic folds and one fault, with the construction team dealing with earthquakes, landslides and debris flows during construction, the firm noted.
The Chengdu-Huangshengguan section of the railway is 276km long, while the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway is 836km long, and is one of eight high-speed lines connecting the north of the country to the south.
The Desheng tunnel is due to enter service later this year, the firm noted.
