On April 25, as two shield tunneling machines located on opposite banks of the Yellow River for Phase I of the Jinan Rail Transit Line 7 project were launched simultaneously, it marked that China's first metro project crossing the Yellow River has officially entered the section tunnel construction stage. Tunneling with the shield machines will connect the previously constructed stations one by one.

Phase I of the Jinan Urban Rail Transit Line 7 project is constructed by China Construction Eighth Engineering Division. With a total length of about 30 km, including about 25.2 km of underground line and about 4.8 km of elevated line, it has 23 stations in total and runs through four geological types along the entire route. It is the only main north-south trunk line running through Jinan's main urban area among Jinan's metro lines. The metro line crosses the Yellow River and links Jinan International Financial City, Honglou area, the Starting Area for Converting Old and New Growth Drivers, and others. After completion, the project will strengthen the connection between Jinan's main urban area and the Starting Area for Converting Old and New Growth Drivers, help build the industrial development belt, ecological civilization belt and cultural tourism belt along the Yellow River, realize the transformation of the Yellow River from a natural barrier to a development pivot, connect various development sectors, and advance the strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.

The two shield machines launched simultaneously this time are named "General" and "Yellow River No. 1" respectively. Both are earth pressure balance shield machines, with a single unit weighing about 500 tons, and are located at Erhuan North Road Station on the south bank of the Yellow River and Science and Innovation Center Station on the north bank respectively. One shield machine was launched southward from Erhuan North Road Station and terminates at Translation College Station, with a tunneling section of about 1,262 meters. The other shield machine was launched southward from Science and Innovation Center Station and terminates at Daqiao Station, with a tunneling section of about 595 meters.

At present, all stations along Phase I of the Jinan Urban Rail Transit Line 7 project have started construction. Seven stations (Meteorological Bureau Station, Aoti East Road Station, Longao Building Station, Erhuan North Road Station, Daqiao Station, Science and Innovation Center Station and Jibei Station) are undergoing earthwork excavation and main structure construction, eight stations are undergoing enclosure structure construction (Fenghuang South Road Station, Muniushan Park Station, Huayuan Road Station, Honglou Square Station, Shanda Road Station, Shuitun North Road Station, Qinghe North Road Station and Translation College Station), and four stations have partial fencing for municipal preliminary work such as green relocation and pipeline relocation, setting a new speed record for Jinan's metro construction.