The Zhengzhou Rail Transit Airport Economy Zone to Xuchang Regional Railway Project (Zhengzhou Section) held a groundbreaking ceremony at Section 06 in Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone. The remaining sections (11 in total) will also commence construction in the near future.

The Airport Economy Zone to Xuchang Regional Railway Project (Zhengzhou Section) starts from Gangqu North Station in the northeast of the Airport Economy Zone's commercial sub-center in the north and ends at Gongye Shilu Station in the "Shuanghe Lake" area in the south, with a total length of about 35.20 kilometers and 17 stations.

The line mainly runs along Chaohu Road (formerly Longzhong Highway), Huaxia Avenue, Yingbin Avenue, the airport, and Yongzhou Road (Hangxing Road). After leaving Gongye Shilu Station, the line continues southward and connects to the Xuchang Section of the Airport Economy Zone to Xuchang Regional Railway.

Zhou Yangzong, deputy chief engineer of China Railway 16th Bureau Group, introduced that Section 06 of the Airport Economy Zone to Xuchang Regional Railway Project (Zhengzhou Section) under construction is the most difficult due to the need to pass under Xinzheng Airport, and is therefore called the "throat" project of the entire line.

The Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone to Xuchang Regional Railway Project is a backbone route of the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration rail transit network, with a total length of about 59 kilometers. The line connects Xinzheng Airport, Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, Changge, and Xuchang, running through the core area of the Zhengzhou-Xuchang industrial belt of the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration, with a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour.

According to administrative boundaries, it is divided into the Zhengzhou Section and Xuchang Section for separate construction. This project is the first regional railway in China connecting the core areas of two cities, and is scheduled to complete joint commissioning of the entire line by the end of September 2020.

Shield Tunneling

Phase I of Line 3 Construction Enters Fast Track

Following the topping out of the main structure of the first station on Metro Line 3 on the 25th, the construction party received another good news yesterday. At 10:28 yesterday, the first shield machine for Part A2 (non-World Bank loan section) of Phase I of Line 3 was launched from the south end of Hanghai East Road Station, marking another major step forward in the construction of Metro Line 3.

According to staff from the rail company, Phase I of Metro Line 3 is the city's first project using World Bank loans and the first to adopt the PPP model. Phase I has 21 stations and a length of 25.5 kilometers.

Hanghai East Road Station is the southernmost station of Phase I of Line 3, located near the intersection of Jingkai 17th Street and Jingnan 3rd Road. The section launched this time is the connecting line between the depot and the main line station; future operational vehicles will enter the depot base through this tunnel section.

This shield tunneling section is constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, the general contractor for Part A2 (non-World Bank loan section). The shield machine used is 85 meters long, with an excavation diameter of 6.46 meters and a total installed weight of 500 tons. The shield machine will take about 7 months to successively pass under Haima Automobile Factory, Jingnan 3rd Road, Huaxia Avenue, Chao River, and Jinggangao Expressway before being lifted out at the depot shaft.

This launch marks the beginning of tunnel construction for the non-World Bank loan section, and the entire Phase I construction of Line 3 has entered the fast track.