On July 31, good news came from the Ningbo Reservoir Group East-West Line Connection Project undertaken by Zhejiang Tunnel Group: the 4-meter-class open-type TBM "Ningbo Water No. 1" (China Railway No. 1362) developed by China Railway Equipment achieved an excellent monthly advance of 1,139 meters in July, setting a new project excavation record for the third consecutive month. It had previously advanced 1,110.6 meters and 1,024 meters in June and May respectively, with monthly advance exceeding the 1,000-meter mark for three consecutive months.

▲ On March 15, the "Ningbo Water No. 1" TBM was successfully launched

The "Ningbo Water No. 1" TBM has an excavation diameter of 4.03 meters, a total length of about 225 meters, and a total tunneling mileage of 10.87 kilometers. Since it officially began tunneling in Tunnel No. 6 on March 15 this year, the TBM has demonstrated outstanding performance, with monthly advance rising from 218 meters initially to 1,139 meters now, an efficiency increase of nearly 3.2 times, achieving a major leap in the construction of the Ningbo Reservoir Group East-West Line Connection Project. During construction, the TBM's tunneling performance continued to improve, setting a high-production record with a maximum single-day advance of 68 meters and an average monthly advance of over 833 meters.

It is reported that the project is expected to be completed in 2028. By then, it will significantly enhance the water supply capacity of eastern Ningbo, meet the high-quality water supply needs of more than 3 million people, and be of great significance for supporting Ningbo's high-quality economic and social development, improving the reliability and stability of the urban water supply system, and promoting the balanced allocation and utilization of regional water resources.