On October 14, after 231 days and nights of continuous effort, the Ziluoshan No. 2 Tunnel on the Xiong'an-Xinzhou High-Speed Railway, constructed by China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group, was holed through. This is the first tunnel on the Xiong'an-Xinzhou High-Speed Railway to be completed, laying a solid foundation for the smooth progress of subsequent construction.

The Xiong'an-Xinzhou High-Speed Railway connects the Xiong'an New Area in Hebei Province with Xinzhou City in Shanxi Province. The main line has a total length of approximately 342 kilometers, of which about 122 kilometers lie within Shanxi Province, with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour. China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group undertook the construction task for the 32.155-kilometer Shanxi section of the Xiong'an-Xinzhou High-Speed Railway. The section under its management has a high proportion of bridges and tunnels and many major and difficult works, including five tunnel projects. The Ziluoshan No. 2 Tunnel is located in Wutai County, Shanxi Province, with a total length of 458.43 meters. The surrounding rock is entirely Grade IV and Grade V, with well-developed joints and karst features and poor self-stability, posing a relatively high risk of collapse during excavation.

To complete the tunnel construction safely, with high quality and efficiently, and to open up access for subsequent construction, since the start of the tunnel work the project department has firmly established the philosophy of "first to start, first to advance, first in quality," planning ahead and organizing scientifically, and was the first on the entire line to obtain acceptance for its laboratory, batching plant, and steel reinforcement yard, among other firsts. At the beginning of this year, construction personnel braved the severe cold of northern Shanxi to actively carry out the layout of the tunnel access road, ventilation, water and power supply, and standardized construction organization, and successfully achieved tunnel portal excavation.

To ensure construction safety and quality, the construction management agent, Datong-Xi'an Railway Passenger Dedicated Line Company, organized the work meticulously, while China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group actively promoted the application of "Five Small Innovations" such as the "advanced small conduit positioning fixture" and "shotcrete scraper," as well as the "Four Unifications" standard components, ensuring high-quality progress in tunnel construction. At the same time, by vigorously promoting informatized and mechanized construction and applying complete sets of tunnel emergency systems such as tunnel access control systems, personnel positioning and in-tunnel video surveillance, and emergency loudspeaker systems, the comprehensive emergency prevention and safety management capabilities of tunnel construction were improved.

To ensure construction progress, construction personnel dynamically optimized the tunnel excavation plan, rationally arranged construction organization and process sequencing, and scientifically adjusted the trolley configuration plan and crew staffing. The project formulated the "Tunnel Special Assessment Measures" and vigorously carried out labor competition activities. Through measures such as responsibility-area contracting and assessment and reward mechanisms, the enthusiasm of the participating employees was stimulated.

The smooth holing-through of the Ziluoshan No. 2 Tunnel will open up a transport route for construction materials and machinery for the subsequent construction of the Ziluoshan Tunnel Group, and will play a positive role in promoting the next step of starting the construction of the connected open-cut tunnel and accelerating the construction of the controlling project, the Ziluoshan No. 1 Tunnel.