On April 16, 2026, a CRCHI earth pressure balance shield machine with an excavation diameter of 9.36 meters successfully completed the integral lifting bridge without disassembling the main engine in the Messina Catania railway project in Sicily, Italy. This construction method is pioneering in the global tunneling machine industry, saving labor, material resources, and construction costs for dismantling, transporting, and reassembling large-diameter shield machines, becoming a typical case of cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the industry.

The Messina Catania Railway Section 2 project in Sicily consists of two sections, using double tunnels and double tracks, with a total tunnel length of approximately 12.54 kilometers. The original plan was to dismantle and transport the main engine to the opposite side of the valley for reassembly after the first section of the right tunnel was completed. However, due to the rugged and narrow mountain roads in Sicily and the limited site at the entrance, it was not possible to use a large crane for dismantling and assembling the machine. At the same time, considering the tight project schedule and high labor and material costs for dismantling and assembling the machine, the customer proposed the idea of crossing the bridge as a whole for the equipment.

Considering that the main engine weighs approximately 1200 tons, along with transportation equipment and vehicles, the total weight exceeds 1500 tons, and the single-sided bridge load capacity is insufficient, CRCHI and the customer jointly formed a service team to innovatively propose a technical route that spans (with a center distance of 30 meters between the two bridges). Based on successful cases of starting and stepping of large-diameter tunneling machines in domestic railways and water diversion tunnels, the team used finite element analysis to calculate the positioning, stiffness, and strength of the right angle support seat, refined the welding process and control measures, fully demonstrated the risks, and provided safety briefing. At the same time, the team has held multiple online and offline meetings to confirm the overall plan, refine details, and implement the plan.

From the welding and positioning of the lifting lug to the lifting of the host, any detail omission may cause serious safety risks. In order to ensure the safe and smooth completion of the overall lifting of the equipment, the technical service team of Tiejian Heavy Industry followed up and provided guidance on the construction site. After two months of planning and deployment, at 9am local time on April 16th, the equipment began to move at a low speed and successfully crossed the bridge to reach the receiving site on the same day. The entire transportation process is complex and interrelated, and each step embodies a lot of hard work from on-site personnel, demonstrating the team's professional ability to cope with complex working conditions.

At present, the equipment is starting to dismantle the transition tooling, preparing for the excavation of the next section. CRCHI adheres to the "overseas priority" strategy, dares to challenge and boldly innovate process methods, and fully cooperates and participates in the full life cycle service of products. It not only solves problems for customers, but also creates a new benchmark for innovative practices in the industry.Editor/Cheng Liting