High speed rail on the island! The construction of the world's largest highway and railway bridge is fully underway ->Railway | Bridge | Shangdao

The key control project of the Yongzhou Railway - the main tower of the Xihoumen Public Railway Bridge on the Yongzhou Railway has recently started underwater structural construction, marking the full start of construction for the world's largest span public railway bridge.

The construction of the Xihoumen Public Railway Bridge on the Yongzhou Railway is fully underway

In the waters of the Zhoushan Archipelago, the pile foundation of the last main pier of the Xihoumen Highway and Railway Bridge is undergoing the "skeleton" - the placement of steel cages. The 18 piles with the world's largest diameter inside the main pier will be firmly embedded in the rock layers below sea level, like the legs of a Hercules, supporting the upper pier and the 294 meter high main tower.

Li Yongqi, Executive Deputy Manager of Xihoumen Gongtie Bridge on the Yongzhou Railway of China Railway Bridge Bureau: This main pier is located in a location with strong winds, waves, high currents, and a depth of 60 meters. When we were building a cross sea highway and railway bridge, the water depth did not exceed 50 meters and we needed to withstand a significant horizontal impact force. The load of the dual-purpose bridge for public and railway is relatively large, which requires a high bearing capacity of the bridge pier foundation. Therefore, we have made such a large drilled pile.

The Xihoumen Public Railway Bridge, with a total length of 3118 meters, is a cross sea bridge under construction for the double track of the Yongzhou Railway and Yongzhou Expressway, crossing the Xihoumen Waterway. It connects Jintang Island and Zhezhe Island in Zhoushan, with a double track passenger dedicated line in the middle of the bridge, designed for a speed of 250 kilometers per hour; On both sides are bidirectional 6-lane highways with a designed speed of 100 kilometers per hour. The layout of the "highway and railway level" achieves a bridge deck width of 68 meters, making this bridge the widest sea crossing bridge in the world.

Wang Donghui, Chief Engineer of China Railway Bridge Bureau Yongzhou Railway Xihoumen Public Railway Bridge: This bridge is located at the mouth of the Xihoumen Waterway, and the wind is particularly strong every day, especially during the winter monsoon season, with winds of six or seven levels every day. After the bridge is widened, the wind resistance and stability are particularly good, increasing the comfort of driving.

The Xihoumen Navigation Channel, where the Xihoumen Public Railway Bridge is located, is a golden sea passage for entering and exiting Ningbo Zhoushan Port. More than 200 30000 ton container ships and various bulk carriers pass by every day. The higher navigation demand in the future and the complex terrain and geology in the sea make the main span of the bridge reach 1488 meters, making it the world's largest span public railway bridge.

The bridge that has broken multiple world records has also brought new challenges to equipment and construction. The entire process from underwater foundation to steel beam manufacturing and installation has produced multiple new construction methods and processes, giving rise to a series of new equipment and facilities such as new drilling machines and self floating drilling platforms. At present, the main pier foundation of the bridge has all started construction, and it is expected to start beam erection in 2025, and the main body will be completed by 2028.

Pre construction of Jintang Tunnel on Yongzhou Railway

The newly-built Yongzhou Railway has a length of 70.1 kilometers and requires the construction of 36 bridges and 17 tunnels. In addition to the Xihoumen high-speed railway bridge seen above, which is the world's largest bridge with a total span of 16.18 kilometers, the Jintang Tunnel is also the world's longest underwater high-speed railway tunnel. The tunnel is currently undergoing preliminary construction.

The Jintang Subsea Tunnel is located below the Jintang Waterway between Ningbo and Zhoushan, between Ningbo Beilun West Station and Zhoushan Jintang Station. It is a controlling and difficult project for the entire Yongzhou Railway. The speed of trains on the Yongzhou Railway reaches 250 kilometers per hour, and both the up and down trains pass through this tunnel. To ensure the safety of train travel, the tunnel diameter needs to reach at least 14.57 meters, which is equivalent to the height of a five story building. This is also the largest underwater high-speed railway tunnel excavated in the world. The builders independently developed ultra large diameter shield tunneling machines and various cutterheads.

Han Fengqi, Chief Engineer of China Railway 14th Bureau Yongzhou Railway Jintang Subsea Tunnel Project: We have developed and adopted an advanced intelligent monitoring system for rolling cutters for the first time in the world. The health status of the cutters can be monitored in real-time in the shield machine cab, and the cutters can be replaced in a timely manner to ensure the safety and efficiency of shield tunneling.

To drill a tunnel in a complex geological formation with a maximum burial depth of 78 meters under the sea, one-way excavation takes at least 12 years. In order to open the Yongzhou Railway as soon as possible, two shield tunneling machines will travel in both directions, heading towards the seabed from Ningbo and Zhoushan, and docking in the sea. This method is the first in China. When two shield tunneling machines with a height of 5 floors are docked in the sea, the accuracy requirement is that the error should not exceed 2 centimeters.

Han Fengqi, Chief Engineer of the Jintang Subsea Tunnel Project on the Yongzhou Railway of China Railway 14th Bureau: We have applied the most accurate and technologically advanced guidance system on the shield tunneling machine as the "eyes" of shield tunneling. At the same time, we have equipped intelligent equipment on the shield tunneling machine to detect and reinforce unfavorable geological conditions in advance, ensuring the safety of the docking process.

At present, the construction team has completed more than ten scientific research projects, including the complete process and construction method of ultra large diameter shield tunneling underwater docking. The shield tunneling machine will start to excavate into the seabed in May next year, and it is expected that the underwater tunnel will be completed by 2027.

Zhoushan Joins the National Railway Network to Accelerate the Integrated Development of the Yangtze River Delta

The Yongzhou Railway, which started construction in November last year, is a major project of the national medium - and long-term railway network plan. It is a high-speed railway that mainly focuses on medium and long-distance tourism passenger flow and also takes into account the intercity passenger flow between Zhoushan and Ningbo. The high-speed rail on the island will put an end to the history of no trains in Zhoushan, and exchanges between cities in the Yangtze River Delta will become more frequent and cooperation will become closer.

The main line of the Yongzhou Railway is 76.4 kilometers long, of which 70.1 kilometers are newly built. Starting from Ningbo East Station in the west, passing through Yinzhou District and Beilun District of Ningbo City, to Jintang Island, Ceze Island, and Zhoushan Island in Zhoushan City. There are 7 stations along the entire line, with a designed speed of 250 kilometers per hour and a construction period of 6 years. It is expected to be completed and opened to traffic by 2028.

At that time, Zhoushan, the only city in the Yangtze River Delta that has no railway at present, will join the national railway network. The travel time from Ningbo to Zhoushan will be shortened to about 26 minutes, and the travel time from Hangzhou to Zhoushan will be shortened to about 1 hour, further accelerating the integration of Zhoushan and Ningbo into the "the Belt and Road" and the construction of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Zhang Kewei, Deputy Mayor of Jintang Town, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province: This map is the planning and construction map of our Jintang Town. The first stop of the Yongzhou high-speed railway after its arrival is the high-end manufacturing park we are planning to build in Jintang Town. At present, Jintang Town has some plans to develop tourism. After the construction of the high-speed rail, it can attract more tourists to come to Jintang for check-in. Previously, people used to go directly on the highway. Now, with the construction of the high-speed rail station, people have been retained, local residents have increased their tourism income, and their hometowns have become more attractive. More young people will return to their hometowns to start businesses.

The high-speed rail on the island will not only connect the tourism resources of Ningbo, Zhoushan, and the Yangtze River Delta region, expand the tourism industry, but also bring broad prospects for the development of other industries.

Zhoushan Station, located on the main island of Zhoushan Island, is the starting and ending station of the Yongzhou Railway. Seven to eight kilometers away from Zhoushan Station, a national level deep-sea fishing base integrating ocean fishing, cold chain logistics, and deep processing is being expanded. The opening of high-speed rail will drive the development of high-speed rail express and cold chain logistics for fresh and other marine products, and the comprehensive logistics network will continue to support the marine industry.

Zhou Zengren, General Manager of Zhejiang Zhoushan Huiqun Ocean Fisheries Development Co., Ltd.: The aquatic products in Zhoushan are mainly shipped out of the island by sea and road. After the opening of the Yongzhou high-speed railway, our seafood can be transported more quickly and to the outside of the island as soon as possible.

At the Ma'ao Station of the Yongzhou Railway, there are also reserved conditions for future connection to the Shanghai direction railway, further improving the Shanghai Yongzhou Cross Sea Passage from Zhoushan to Shanghai. The travel time from the main urban area of Zhoushan to Shanghai Pudong Airport will be shortened from about 2 hours by car to about 40 minutes by high-speed rail. Relying on convenient transportation, a number of industries such as new materials and equipment manufacturing will settle in Zhoushan, which will further promote the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta.