On July 11, 2023, the first EPB TBM for export manufactured by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co., Ltd. (CREG) under CRHIC was successfully launched, marking that the shield tunneling of the Halkali-Ispartakule High-speed Railway has been officially commenced.

The EPB TBM is applied in the Halkali-Ispartakule High-speed Railway project which involves two excavation intervals: the left and right tunnelling intervals. The tunnelling mileage per unit is around 6km and the largest buried depth is 55m. The stratum soils mainly include clay, silt, sandstone, conglomerate, claystone and marlstone. The project will cross the Küçükçekmece Lake and the proposed Istanbul Canal.

To adapt to the complex geological conditions and the customer’s demands, CREG has customized two EPB TBMs with the excavation diameter being 8.54m. The better space for maintenance and operation provides a more humanized operating environment for operators. The unit satisfies the CE standard, and is highly reliable and safe.