On September 5, the "CREC Baiyun Pioneer" shield machine successfully broke through the rock, marking the completion of the tunnel for the Guangzhou-Zhuhai (Macao) High-Speed Railway section of the Guangzhou Baiyun Airport T3 transportation hub.
The Baiyun Airport T3 transportation hub railway reserve project, contracted by China Railway(Guangzhou) Investment & Development, primarily includes the Baiyun Airport T3 hub station, the Guangzhou-Heyuan High-Speed Railway (Guangcong Intercity), the Guangzhou-Zhuhai (Macao) High-Speed Railway section tunnel, and the east and west section tunnels of the Fangcun to Baiyun Airport Intercity. The total length of these sections is 5,503 meters, with one station and four tunnel sections. Despite the Guangzhou-Zhuhai (Macao) High-Speed Railway section tunnel being only 1,476 meters long, it faced significant construction challenges: the karst cave detection rate was 48.94%, and the karst line rate was 13.54%. Furthermore, 98% of the shield tunneling route was located within the airport¡¯s operational flight zone, with the tunnel passing directly underneath the airport runway, and the vertical distance from the tunnel segment to the ground surface of the flight zone was only about 11.246 meters. The shield tunneling phase required strict control over the total cumulative settlement, which was not to exceed 30 millimeters, with uplift limited to 10 millimeters, differential settlement not exceeding 1¡ë, and segment joint misalignment kept within 5 millimeters. Additionally, the construction faced challenges due to height restrictions at the airport and limited working space, leading to difficulties such as insufficient launch shaft length and ultra-shallow shield tunneling.
To ensure the project proceeded smoothly, China Railway(Guangzhou) Investment & Development coordinated and integrated resources, partnering with the China Railway Tunnel Group, which was responsible for the shield tunneling work. They deployed the largest diameter shield machine currently used in Guangzhou metro construction¡ªthe "CREC Baiyun Pioneer" shield machine, with a diameter of 14.31 meters. The machine has a total length of about 115 meters, weighs approximately 2,500 tons, and is equipped with online tool monitoring, advanced geological forecasting functions, a dual-channel muck removal system (screw machine + direct discharge pipe), as well as cutting-edge automated grouting detection and equipment status monitoring technologies. These innovative features have significantly enhanced the level of intelligent shield tunneling technology.