The mountains in the hinterland of Daba Mountain are continuous and the geological conditions are complex and steep. After more than a thousand days and nights of fierce battles in the deep mountains, the construction team has overcome multiple construction difficulties such as gas, water inflow, and faults, and successfully opened the key control tunnels of the West Chongqing High speed Railway, laying a solid foundation for the timely completion and opening of the entire line.

Conquering Extreme Geology

Recently, the Mingtong Tunnel of the West Chongqing High speed Railway has been safely and smoothly connected. The tunnel is located in the hinterland of Daba Mountain in Chengkou County, Chongqing City. It is a second level risk project with key and difficult points along the entire line. The total length of the main tunnel is 9964 meters, and the total length of the auxiliary tunnel is 10045 meters. It adopts a single tunnel double track design. The tunnel construction passes through multiple inclined anticlines, faults, underground rivers, and karst fissure water areas, posing many risks such as large deformation of soft rocks, gas, and dangerous rock falls. The entrance and exit are located on steep cliffs, making it extremely difficult to enter and operate. The project adopts a multi tunnel combination construction mode, dividing the excavation operation into two horizontal tunnel zones to efficiently dismantle the construction pressure of the ultra long tunnel.

Strictly observe safe construction

During the construction period, the project team adhered to the bottom line of safety and quality, implemented standardized excavation construction guidelines, relied on various advanced geological exploration technologies, and predicted and disposed of adverse geological hazards in advance. The project will establish an integrated protection system for civil air defense, technical defense, and intelligent defense, equipped with all-weather gas monitoring, personnel positioning, and intelligent warning equipment, and implement regular duty and special explosion-proof ventilation measures. At the same time, we comprehensively promoted mechanized supporting construction, optimized process connection, overcame unfavorable conditions such as low temperature, flash floods, and inconvenient material transportation in mountainous areas, and successfully completed the excavation task in 1205 days.

Science and technology innovation green empowerment

The project relies on an intelligent steel structure processing plant, integrating big data and digital twin technology to achieve precise and automated production of steel components throughout the entire process. The entire construction process has accumulated multiple invention patents, utility model patents, and various levels of construction method achievements, greatly improving the intelligence and standardization level of tunnel construction. At the same time, the project implements the concept of green construction, promotes the utilization of waste resources, slope greening, and closed-loop sewage treatment, and achieves coordinated development between engineering construction and ecological protection. Keywords: high-speed rail, tunnel connection

The completion of Mingtong Tunnel will further improve the high-speed railway network in the central and western regions, and assist in improving regional transportation quality, rural revitalization, and coordinated development of the western region.Editor/Min Jing