China's Linghang TBM sets world record tunneling under Yangtze River
China’s ultra‑large tunnel boring machine Linghang, with a 15.4‑metre diameter and weighing about 4,000 tonnes, has completed an 11.3‑km continuous stretch beneath the Yangtze River at a depth of 89 metres. The achievement sets a global record for the longest uninterrupted tunnelling by a shield machine of this size. The Chongtai Yangtze River Tunnel will link Shanghai’s Chongming Island to Taicang in Jiangsu province, enabling high‑speed rail services that run at a design speed of 350 km/h. Once operational, the crossing will reduce travel time between the island and Shanghai to roughly 17 minutes, with the river segment itself taking about two minutes. Completion of the tunnel is scheduled for the end of 2024, after which Chongming Island will receive its first high‑speed rail connection.
The project required extreme technical precision, with alignment tolerances controlled to the millimetre and the tunnel engineered to withstand water pressure of up to 0.9 MPa. Deputy project manager Wang Yi of China Railway Tunnel Group highlighted the need for such precision to ensure safety and passenger comfort at the high operating speed.
Entities: China Railway Tunnel Group · Chongming Island · Linghang · Linghang shield tunnelling machine · Linghang tunnelling machine · Shanghai · Taicang · Wang Yi · Yangtze River
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The tunnel will be the fastest underwater high‑speed rail tunnel worldwide. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The tunnel reaches a depth of 89 metres below the water surface. (multiple sources)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Completion of the tunnel is scheduled for the end of 2024. (multiple sources)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Travel time between Chongming Island and Shanghai will be about 17 minutes. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Linghang tunnel boring machine has a diameter of 15.4 metres. (multiple sources)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Trains will travel at a design speed of 350 km/h through the tunnel. (multiple sources)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The tunnel will connect Shanghai's Chongming Island with Taicang in Jiangsu province. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Linghang completed a continuous tunnel of 11.3 km under the Yangtze River. (multiple sources)