On May 7, the shield tunneling machine "Haojiang Pioneer," jointly developed by China Civil Engineering, Nam Kwong Property, CRCC Heavy Industry, and China Railway 16th Bureau, was successfully launched in Macau, marking the official entry of the Macau Light Rapid Transit East Line (North Section) design-and-build project into the tunnel boring stage.

Launch site

It is reported that the Macau LRT East Line (North Section) project has a total length of approximately 2.74 kilometers, running from Zone A of the Macau Peninsula in the south to the Border Gate Port in the north. It is one of Macau's important livelihood projects for improving its rail transit network and enhancing residents' travel efficiency. The shield tunnel section of the project is about 2,077 meters long and fully underground. Constrained by factors such as dense urban buildings in the construction area, narrow worksites, and complex hydrogeological conditions, the project adopts a "short section, high frequency" shield tunneling method, requiring multiple shield launching and receiving operations, which places new demands on precision control of shield construction, stratum adaptability, and response to superimposed risks.

In response to the project's construction requirements, the "Haojiang Pioneer" is equipped with functions such as intelligent monitoring and high-precision deviation correction, enabling real-time analysis of changes in the soil structure ahead of excavation and adjustment of cutterhead speed and thrust, effectively improving construction efficiency and reducing settlement risks. At the same time, the shield machine incorporates advanced systems such as visualized cameras in the soil chamber and automatic spraying, improving the efficiency of multi-party coordinated management during excavation and minimizing the impact on the surrounding environment.

The "Haojiang Pioneer" has an overall length of 87 meters, a total weight of about 690 tons, and a cutterhead excavation diameter of 7.28 meters

It is understood that after the project is completed and opened to traffic, core areas such as the Macau Border Gate, the New Town Zone A, and the Taipa Ferry Terminal will be rapidly interconnected, effectively alleviating passenger flow pressure at the Border Gate Port, significantly improving surface traffic efficiency, easing urban traffic congestion, and strongly promoting Macau's integration into the country's overall development.