Recently, good news came from the construction site of the Shenyang-Baihe High-Speed Railway: the Lijia Tunnel in Section TJ-5 of the Jilin segment was successfully holed through, laying a solid foundation for the full-line breakthrough of the project.

The Lijia Tunnel is located within Baishan City and officially began tunnel excavation on April 18, 2022. It is a single-tube, double-track tunnel with a total length of 1,485 meters and a maximum burial depth of approximately 114.85 meters. The tunnel was designed and constructed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), with excavation proceeding simultaneously from both the entrance and exit portals toward each other.

To ensure progress and meet the schedule requirements, the project department organized multiple special meetings to optimize the plan based on actual site conditions. In response to poor surrounding rock and drainage problems in water-rich sections, measures such as increasing the number of locking feet, lengthening advance support, adding more drainage pipes, and enhancing drainage diversion were adopted on site, with construction organized scientifically and orderly. At the same time, process control was strengthened, and the side-station (full-time supervision) system was strictly implemented for key procedures and key parts. During construction, the general requirements of "early forecasting, controlled advance, pre-grouting, short advance, weak blasting, strong support, quick sealing, and frequent measurement" were strictly followed to ensure project safety and quality remained under control. Pre-job training and education for workers were strengthened to enhance safety and quality awareness and improve workers' required knowledge and skills, achieving 100% certified上岗 (on-duty with certificates) for operating personnel. In response to severe cold weather, insulated doors were installed at the tunnel portals in winter, and hot-air cannons were used for heating, with 24-hour uninterrupted construction operations to ensure that the tunnel's milestone schedule was met as planned.

It is understood that the TJ-5 section project department of the Shenyang-Baihe High-Speed Railway Jilin segment under China Railway Shanghai Engineering Group has a total of 12 tunnels under its management, of which 10 have been holed through so far.