On April 11, the No. 1 inclined shaft of the Xiling Tunnel, a key control project on the entire Xi'an-Shiyan High-Speed Railway and a Class I high-risk tunnel, built by Shaanxi Xicheng Railway Passenger Dedicated Line Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Xicheng Passenger Dedicated Line Shaanxi Co., Ltd.") and constructed by China Railway Seventh Group Co., Ltd., achieved a cumulative excavation breakthrough of 5,000 meters, marking a major breakthrough in a key and difficult project on the entire line and further accelerating the construction progress.

The photo shows the Xiling Tunnel construction site.

　　The Xiling Tunnel of the Xi'an-Shiyan High-Speed Railway is located in Shangzhou District, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province. With a total length of 18,083 meters and a double-tube single-track design, it is the second longest tunnel in the Xi'an-Shiyan High-Speed Railway (Shaanxi section). The tunnel has complex geology, with the surrounding rock of the tunnel body consisting of schist, quartzite and marble, and adverse geological conditions such as faults, water inflow and low gas, resulting in great construction difficulty and high safety risks. It is a Class I high-risk tunnel on the entire line.

　　As a key control project in the construction of the Xi'an-Shiyan High-Speed Railway, since the start of construction, Xicheng Passenger Dedicated Line Shaanxi Co., Ltd. has adhered to taking safety and quality as the core, relied on information-based and mechanized means, guided the construction unit to continuously carry out "small innovations", reasonably optimized the construction procedures, carried out refined control of each construction link, and conducted penetrating management of quality, safety, environmental protection and water and soil conservation, ensuring orderly tunnel construction.

　　The project department of China Railway Seventh Group strictly implemented all requirements and carefully organized construction. At present, all four working faces of the No. 1 inclined shaft are carrying out normal cyclic operations, and construction is proceeding in an orderly manner. At peak times, more than 70 sets of machinery and equipment and nearly 400 builders work simultaneously to fully ensure that the Xiling Tunnel is completed on schedule.

The photo shows the Xiling Tunnel construction site.

　　The Xi'an-Shiyan High-Speed Railway is an important "downward stroke" in Shaanxi's "米"-shaped high-speed railway network. The railway passes through the three cities of Xi'an, Shangluo and Shiyan and connects to the already completed Wuhan-Shiyan High-Speed Railway. The newly built main line is 255.7 kilometers long with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour, of which the Shaanxi section is 169 kilometers long, with five stations along the route: Xi'an East, Lantian, Shangluo West, Shanyang and Manchuan Pass.

　　It is understood that after the Xi'an-Shiyan High-Speed Railway is completed and opened to traffic, Xi'an to Shiyan will be reached within one hour, and the train travel time between Wuhan and Xi'an is expected to be shortened to 2.5 hours. This is of great significance for strengthening the connection between the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration, driving economic and social development along the route, and improving the layout of the national high-speed railway network.