On October 25, 2026, at a construction site in western Yantai, the bridge erecting machine slowly retracted its boom. With a whistle from the commander, the last prefabricated T-beam landed steadily on the bridge pier. Several builders took off their helmets and breathed a long sigh of relief. This move means that all 698 T-beams of the Longyan Railway urban transformation project have been completed, and the framework of 18 bridges has been erected. The track laying operation can proceed smoothly, and the goal of opening to traffic is one step closer.

Only one beam yard is set up along the entire line, but it has to undertake the prefabrication task of 698 T-beams for 18 bridges including the Airport Branch Line No. 1 Extra Large Bridge and the Cross Rongwu Expressway Extra Large Bridge. Since the start of beam erection on September 24, 2025, this beam yard has hardly stopped construction. Based on the labor competition of key transportation projects in Shandong Province, builders repeatedly hold expert meetings and risk management meetings, and then conduct on-site monitoring and inspection to refine the plan and firmly grasp the risks. Resource allocation follows the nodes, with continuous beams, station yards, and adjacent business line bridge piers completed on schedule, and the transportation and erection channels always kept unobstructed. In May of this year, the first Longyan City shield machine applied to railway projects in Shandong Province was successfully launched, achieving a key breakthrough in the shield section of the airport tunnel; In August, the task of erecting beams for Section 2 was completed; On October 15th, the first tunnel of the entire line, the New Donglongqian Tunnel, was completed. Step by step, we managed to secure today's finale.

Most of this route passes through urban built-up areas, and the transportation and installation of beam equipment must repeatedly cross city roads, existing tunnels, highways, and busy municipal intersections. Each move must be timed and spatially accurate. The two most difficult parts to gnaw on are: one is the construction adjacent to the Weiyan high-speed railway, where the beam erection equipment is only 4 meters away from the power supply line; The second is to cross the power supply line section of the Longyan Railway, while also facing extreme working conditions such as a 500 meter small curve radius and a 27.9 ‰ downhill slope. The beam is transported on a slope or placed on a bend, and a slight mistake can cause it to lose control. The builder breaks down each process and deduces, focusing on every minute of construction on the business line, ultimately achieving the safety of these two hard bones.keywords:Engineering infrastructure

The Longyan Railway Urban Transformation Project is jointly invested by Shandong Railway Investment Group and Yantai City, and organized and constructed by Jiqing High speed Railway Company. It is the first urban railway in Shandong Province and the first pilot project of the Shandong Demonstration Zone for a Strong Transportation Country. The project utilizes the surplus capacity of the existing Longyan Railway and Lanyan Railway for renovation, and a new branch line of Penglai International Airport will be built, starting from Yantai Station in the east and ending at Yantai West Station in the west, with a total length of 46.6 kilometers and a design speed of 160 kilometers per hour. The entire line will have 10 stations, including 6 new and 4 renovated ones; Newly built bridges of 10.52 kilometers and tunnels of 9.04 kilometers, with bridges and tunnels accounting for 41.6%. At present, the bridges and roadbeds are basically completed, one tunnel has been completed, and the building construction project has entered the decoration and renovation stage. 70% of the four electrical engineering pillars have been assembled, and related equipment has been gradually installed on site. The project will start construction at the end of September 2024 and is planned to be completed and opened to traffic by the end of September 2027. At that time, it will operate public transit urban trains, with a direct stop from Yantai Station to Penglai Airport Station in about 25 minutes and a stop at each station in about 45 minutes.Editor/Yang Meiling