On the morning of February 26, the shield launching ceremony for the Zirui Tunnel on the Chengdu Hub Loop Line was held at the Zirui Tunnel construction site. Following the launch command, the cutterhead of the "Zirui" — the largest-diameter dual-mode shield machine in China — began to rotate slowly, and shield construction for the Zirui Tunnel was smoothly launched, entering the running tunnel construction phase. This marks a key step forward in the construction of the Chengdu Railway Hub Loop Line.

　　The Zirui Tunnel is a controlling node project of the second-track addition project on the Chengdu South to Hongpailou section of the Chengdu Hub West Loop Line, and an important project for advancing the commuter-rail transformation of Chengdu's railway services. The route has a total length of 1,940 meters, including 614 meters of cut-and-cover tunnel and 1,326 meters of shield tunnel. As the final key link to achieve double-track operation on the Chengdu Hub Loop Line, the Zirui Tunnel project commenced construction in September 2019. After completing the launch shaft and the assembly and commissioning of the shield machine, it was officially launched on the morning of February 26, with the project scheduled for completion by the end of 2022.

　　The Zirui Tunnel project is located in a bustling area of downtown Chengdu, passing beneath various areas such as subway stations, municipal underground pipelines, elevated bridges, railway lines, and rivers. The surrounding environment is complex, with strict settlement control and high engineering difficulty. Based on the geological and hydrological conditions of the Zirui Tunnel and the surrounding environment, the construction unit organized research and tackling of key technologies, and customized the "Zirui" — China's largest-diameter earth pressure-slurry dual-mode shield machine — which was officially rolled off the production line on December 18, 2020, providing a strong guarantee for the smooth progress of the project.

　　Once completed, the Zirui Tunnel will connect Chengdu Station, Chengdu East Station, Chengdu South Station, and Chengdu West Station, enabling double-track operation of trains on the Chengdu Railway Hub Loop Line and further densifying the commuter-rail operation network of the city's regional railways. After commuter-rail operation of the loop line begins, the circulation of production factors and resources will become more optimized, urban commuting efficiency will be effectively improved, and integrated travel for citizens will be more convenient, injecting strong momentum into the economic complementarity and integrated development of the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone.