Snowfall caused temperatures to plummet, but the builders of Xuzhou Urban Rail Transit Line 1 felt warm at heart. On January 28, at the construction site of Xi'an Road Station on Phase I of Xuzhou Urban Rail Transit Line 1, as the cutterhead of the "Xinhe No. 7" shield machine slowly rotated and broke through the soil, entering the receiving steel sleeve, the left line of the shield tunnel section from Pengcheng Square Station to Xi'an Road Station on Xuzhou Rail Transit Line 1 was successfully completed. Thus, Phase I of Xuzhou Rail Transit Line 1 achieved full-line "tunnel breakthrough," laying a solid foundation for the full-line opening and operation in 2019.
　　It is understood that Phase I of Line 1 officially started construction in October 2014. Over the past three years and more, all participating units have overcome numerous difficulties, including the complex hydrogeology in the Xuzhou area, the narrow construction sites in the city center, and the shield tunneling beneath multiple buildings. They have continuously summarized and explored, scientifically managed, and meticulously constructed. Up to now, about 85% of the civil engineering work for the entire line has been completed, the main structures of 12 stations have been capped, and all tunnel sections have been holed through.
　　Li Xiaoming, head of the construction department for Phase I of Xuzhou Metro Line 1 of China State Construction, told reporters that during the "tunnel breakthrough" process, on the one hand, a series of major difficulties were successfully resolved. For example, the tunnel had to pass beneath the underground tracks of Xuzhou Railway Station while it was in normal operation, and also pass beneath many large buildings in the city center. At present, all these have been successfully passed in accordance with design and specification requirements, and settlement values are within the control range. On the other hand, there was the mining method construction. Xuzhou's geology is complex with strong karst cave development, and the excavation sections had to pass above and below karst caves multiple times. All these have now been completed according to standards, laying a geological data foundation for future construction of the Xuzhou Metro.
　　Phase I of Line 1 covers the main east-west passenger flow corridor of the city, connecting Tongshan District, the old city area, the Bashan area, and the Chengdong New District. It provides rapid connections between the core old city area and the eastern and western regions of Xuzhou, expanding urban space to the east and west. The line has a total length of 21.89 km and 18 stations: Luwo Station, Xingshanzi Station, Hanshan Station, Gongnong Road Station, Renmin Square Station, Sudi Road Station, Xuyi Affiliated Hospital Station, Pengcheng Square Station, Minzhu North Road Station, Xuzhou Railway Station Station, Zifangshan Station, Tongshan Road Station, Huangshanlong Station, Qingfeng Road Station, Medical University Station, Qiaojiahu Station, Jinlonghu Station, and Xuzhou East Railway Station Station. Among them, Pengcheng Square Station is a transfer station between Lines 1 and 2, and Xuzhou Railway Station Station is a transfer station between Lines 1 and 3.
　　According to the introduction, the "tunnel breakthrough" of Metro Line 1 marks the underground connection from the west to the east of Xuzhou. "Tunnel breakthrough" is the first key milestone of Phase I of Line 1, marking that Phase I of Line 1 will shift to a more intensive stage of track laying, electromechanical installation, and decoration. In 2018-2019, Phase I of Line 1 will successively achieve key milestones such as "track breakthrough," "power supply breakthrough," "trial operation," and "trial commercial operation." At present, Zhandong Square Station is one of the track laying bases for Line 1. Track laying from Zhandong Square Station to Xuzhou Railway Station Station has begun. It is expected that Phase I of Line 1 will achieve "track breakthrough" in August this year and "power supply breakthrough" by the end of this year. The achievement of these milestones will lay a good foundation for the opening of Phase I of Line 1 in the second half of next year.
　　According to the introduction, the company and all participating units will earnestly implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress, adhere to the business philosophy of "passenger-centered, quality and safety as the key, and cost reduction and efficiency improvement as support," fully promote the development of various rail transit undertakings, and ensure that Xuzhou enters the "Metro Era" by the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan."