On July 15, as the cutterhead of the west-line "Avenue Pioneer" shield machine broke through and successfully reached the receiving shaft, the shield tunnel section of the Guangzhou Haizhu Bay Tunnel Project achieved dual-line breakthrough, marking a major milestone victory in the project's construction. The Haizhu Bay Tunnel Project is scheduled to be completed and opened to traffic in 2025, at which time Guangzhou South Railway Station and the central urban area will be reachable from each other in 15 minutes.

Setting multiple "national firsts"

The Haizhu Bay Tunnel Project has a total investment of approximately 11.68 billion yuan, spanning Haizhu District and Panyu District, with a total length of 4.35 kilometers. The tunnel section is 3,463 meters long, of which the shield section is 2,102 meters, with an excavation diameter of 15.07 meters, making it Guangzhou's first super-large-diameter shield tunnel. The Haizhu Bay Tunnel Project officially commenced in December 2020. Two super-large-diameter shield machines—the west-line "Avenue Pioneer" and the east-line "Pathbreaker Pioneer"—successively began excavation from Nanpu Island in Panyu District, Guangzhou, in March and May 2023. After 16 months of "crossing the river and traversing the city," both achieved successful reception.

The "Pathbreaker Pioneer" shield machine achieved a monthly excavation breakthrough of 324 meters, completing the east-line breakthrough in just 12 months, setting a record for the excavation speed of super-large-diameter slurry balance shield machines in composite strata in South China. Next, it will take 2 months to dismantle the shield machine and the pipelines and cables inside the tunnel, and carry out full-line tunnel paving, decoration, and electromechanical equipment installation.

The Haizhu Bay Tunnel Project set multiple "national firsts" during its construction. The Haizhu Bay Tunnel is the first super-large-diameter shield tunnel in China to continuously pass through dense building clusters in complex red-bed geology. When passing through the affected area of more than 600 buildings on Luoxi Island, settlement was controlled within 5 millimeters, achieving millimeter-level settlement control. The Haizhu Bay Tunnel successfully completed China's first largest-scale super-large-diameter shield tunneling through pile groups, implementing in-situ protection of existing multi-story structures and buildings covering up to 23,500 square meters, and completing construction through pile foundation underpinning technology under shallow cover conditions.

Inside the already formed tunnel, cross passages are under construction. It is understood that a total of 6 cross passages have been set up within the 2,102-meter shield section of the Haizhu Bay Tunnel. A cross passage is a transverse passage set between two tunnels, undertaking important functions such as passenger safe evacuation, tunnel drainage, and fire protection. This is China's first cross passage in a super-large-diameter underwater shield tunnel constructed using the mechanical method.

Scheduled to be completed and opened to traffic in 2025

The Haizhu Bay Tunnel will significantly shorten the travel time between Guangzhou's central urban area and Guangzhou South Railway Station. The Haizhu Bay Tunnel is the northern section of the Guangzhou South Railway Station express corridor. Once completed, it will be the most convenient route from Guangzhou's central urban area to Guangzhou South Railway Station. The journey between Guangzhou's central urban areas such as Haizhu and Yuexiu and Guangzhou South Railway Station is expected to be shortened from 40 minutes to 15 minutes, saving 25 to 30 minutes.