Shiziyang Tunnel
The Shiziyang Tunnel is a high-speed railway tunnel under the Pearl River estuary in China.[1]
Route
The tunnel is part of a 140km high-speed line from Guangzhou to Shenzhen and Hong Kong. It is designed for speeds of up to 350 km/h - the fastest underwater tunnel in the world.[2] as well as being China's longest underwater tunnel.[3] This allows rail journeys between Guangzhou and Hong Kong to take only 40 minutes - much faster than the previous 2 hour journey. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express rail link is part of a broader expansion of high speed rail in China; journeys from Beijing to Hong Kong will take only 8 hours.[4]
Construction
Construction began in November 2007, with a budget of CNY2.4 billion;[5] the tunnel was completed in 2012, and passenger services are expected to begin in 2012.[4] Unusually, the tunnel boring machines were designed to be dismantled inside the tunnel.[5]
References
- ^ "News in Brief". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ^ "China completes construction of world's fastest underwater railway tunnel". 2011-03-12. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ "Study on Shiziyang Tunnel Engineering Geology and Shield Tunneling". 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
{{cite web}}: Text "ASCE - Proceedings" ignored (help) - ^ a b "Shiziyang underwater tunnel ready as part of High Speed Line to Hong Kong". HSL Zone. 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ a b "SELI opens branch in Hong Kong - tunnelbuilder.com". 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2011-04-16.