On May 31, at the Hengmen shaft construction site of the Nanzhong Intercity Railway Project Section 2 of China Railway No.2 Engineering Group, the first shield tunneling machine for the entire Nanzhong Intercity Railway (Zhongshan Section), "Xiangshan No.1," was successfully launched and began tunneling toward Xiangshan Station, marking that the Nanzhong Intercity Railway (Zhongshan Section) has officially entered the shield tunneling construction stage.

As the first shield machine launched on the entire line, "Xiangshan No.1" has a maximum excavation diameter of 8.83 meters, an overall length of 136 meters, and a total weight of 1,329.4 tons. It is used for tunneling in the shield tunnel section from Hengmen shaft to Xiangshan Station. The Hengmen-Xiangshan section is the longest shield tunneling section in this contract, with many risks of passing beneath sensitive buildings and structures, and complex geology at the shield launching end. At this critical stage of shield launching, risks such as water and sand ingress at the portal, ground settlement, and damage to buildings may occur. In addition, this project involves launching on a downhill gradient. When the shield reaches the tunnel face and separates from the launching cradle, the shield body mass is mainly concentrated at the cutterhead and main drive. Coupled with the disturbance of the soil in the lower half of the shield and the reduced bearing capacity, the shield is prone to "nodding" behavior, which places extremely high demands on construction organization, technical capability, process management, and risk control.

To ensure the safe and smooth launch of the first shield machine on the entire line, the project construction team of China Railway No.2 Engineering Group adhered to strict requirements, prioritized safety, ensured quality, and promoted production. They jointly advanced on-site safety, quality, and civilized construction management, strictly implemented systems such as "one post, two responsibilities" and leadership duty shifts, clarified the division of rights and responsibilities, and ensured that everything is managed and everyone has specific duties, achieving zero-risk, high-standard, and high-efficiency construction on site. Despite objective factors such as continuous heavy rainfall in Guangdong in April and May, the "Xiangshan No.1" shield machine took only 28 days from entry to completion of assembly and commissioning, fully demonstrating the spirit of a "shield pioneer."