On April 22, the left and right lines from the entrance of the Qinling Taixingshan Tunnel to No. 1 inclined shaft on the Xi'an–Ankang High-Speed Railway, which is being built under the responsibility of Xi'an–Chengdu Passenger Dedicated Line Shaanxi Co., Ltd., surveyed and designed by China Railway ** Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd., and constructed by China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group Co., Ltd. and others, were both successfully holed through, laying a solid foundation for the breakthrough of the entire tunnel.

The Qinling Taixingshan Tunnel is a single-track, double-tube tunnel designed for a speed of 350 km/h. Located in the mid- and high-altitude mountains of the Qinling range, it has a total length of 18.8 km and is the longest Grade I high-risk tunnel on the entire Xi'an–Ankang line, as well as a controlling project for the whole line. The tunnel features complex geology, passing through 4 deep and large faults and 10 secondary faults, with long rockburst sections, complex cross-section variations, long inclined-shaft construction distances, and high technical requirements for ventilation and reverse-slope drainage, making construction relatively difficult.

During construction, the complexity of the tunnel construction environment and the diversity of geological conditions posed severe challenges to the project. To ensure smooth construction operations, the project successfully applied a series of advanced technologies, processes, and management measures, including advanced geological forecasting, digital monitoring and measurement, and formwork with grooves for blind pipes in the low side walls, which not only improved construction efficiency but also ensured construction safety and consistent quality. A series of effective measures enabled the breakthrough between the tunnel entrance and No. 1 inclined shaft to be completed four months ahead of the original schedule.

The Xi'an–Ankang High-Speed Railway is an important component of the Baotou (Yinchuan)–Haikou and Beijing–Kunming corridors among the "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" high-speed rail corridors in the national medium- and long-term railway network plan. The newly built main line has a total length of about 171 km and a design speed of 350 km/h. Once completed and opened to traffic, the railway travel time from Xi'an to Ankang will be shortened from the current approximately 3 hours to less than 1 hour, greatly reducing the spatial and temporal distance between the Guanzhong urban agglomeration and the Qinba mountainous area in southern Shaanxi, and is of great significance for releasing transport demand between Guanzhong and southern Shaanxi, supporting rural revitalization, and promoting local economic development.