Largest-Diameter TBM to be Used in Macao Rolls off Production Line

The "Aoqin No. 1" tunnel boring machine with a diameter of 7.98 meters, the largest of its kind to be used in Macao, recently rolled off the production line in Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province.

It is scheduled to play a role in construction of the project to extend the Hengqin Line of the Macao Light Rail Transit, the first undersea shield project in the region.

The machine was jointly developed by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation Limited, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and China Railway 16th Bureau Group Corporation Limited, all subsidiaries of China Railway Construction Corporation Limited.

It is about 87 meters long and weighs around 600 metric tons. The pattern of the Ruins of St. Paul, a landmark of the region, is painted on its cutter surface, representing the region's historic background with eastern and western cultures.

"Aoqin No. 1", the largest tunnel boring machine to be used in Macao, rolls off the production line in Changsha, Hunan Province. It is painted with the pattern of the Ruins of St. Paul, a landmark of the region, on the cutter surface. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

According to the developers, the machine adopts the double-joint design for ultra-small turning radius.

It is also equipped with a series of smart systems such as advanced geological detection, high-precision gas-liquid equilibrium and visualized soil bin monitoring, which guarantees engineering security during construction.

The machine will be disassembled for transport after final inspection.

The undersea shield project the machine is to be used in is one of the major infrastructure projects in Macao and a large-scale public transportation project for cross-straits connectivity.

The total length of the project is about 2.2 kilometers and the shield tunnel section accounts for 900 meters. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, China Railway 16th Bureau Group Corporation Limited, China Railway Construction Group Co., Ltd. and China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., Ltd. will contribute to the construction.

Hengqin Port, as a key comprehensive transportation hub for Zhuhai-Macao border-crossing, has an annual clearance volume of 80 million passengers. The new line is expected to be a second option for passengers transiting Hengqin Port.

A bird's-eye view of the tunnel project of the extension of the Hengqin Line of the Macao Light Rail Transit [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Niu Yilin)