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People's Daily Online, Chongqing, May 25 (Report) — The reporter learned from the Chongqing Construction Command of China Railway Chengdu Group Co., Ltd. that after 343 days of arduous and outstanding efforts by railway builders, the Wujialan No. 2 Tunnel of the Xi'an–Chongqing High-Speed Railway was holed through on the 24th with the final excavation, laying a solid foundation for the smooth opening of the Xi'an–Chongqing High-Speed Railway.

The Wujialan No. 2 Tunnel is located in Tongjiaxi Town, Beibei District, Chongqing, with a total length of 624.7 m; it is a single-tube, single-track tunnel. According to Tang Yuming, chief engineer of the Chongqing Hub Section II Project of the Xi'an–Chongqing High-Speed Railway of China Railway 24th Bureau Group, the Wujialan No. 1 and No. 2 Tunnels are tunnels with a jointly built portal at the entrance; the distance between the two tunnels gradually narrows from the exit until they connect at the entrance, with a minimum structural clear distance of about 3.7 m. In addition, the tunnel is adjacent to the existing Shanghai–Chengdu Railway, resulting in high construction difficulty and significant safety risks.

According to the introduction, in order to reduce the impact of tunnel construction on the adjacent existing railway, the Chongqing Hub Section II Project Department of the Xi'an–Chongqing High-Speed Railway of China Railway 24th Bureau Group made scientific arrangements, optimized the organizational design, and prepared a series of special construction plans for work adjacent to the operating line, quality control, controlled blasting, and monitoring of the existing railway. Based on monitoring measurements and existing-line monitoring, the construction method combining controlled blasting and mechanical excavation was adjusted in real time. At the same time, technical backbones were assigned to supervise the construction on a 24-hour basis throughout the process, greatly reducing the safety risks of tunnel construction.

The Xi'an–Chongqing High-Speed Railway is an important component of the Beijing–Kunming corridor from Beijing to Kunming and the Bao(tou)–(Yin)chuan–Haikou corridor from Baotou and Yinchuan to Haikou in China's "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" high-speed rail network, and holds a very important position in the road network. After the project is completed, it will greatly facilitate travel for the people along the line and is of great significance for further improving the road network structure in the central and western regions, consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation, comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, supporting urban-rural integration and coordinated regional development, and shaping a new pattern of large-scale development of the western region.