On August 31, the super large diameter (15.56m) slurry TBM 'Jihua 1', jointly developed by Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co., Ltd. and China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co., Ltd. (CREG) affiliated to CRHIC, rolled off production line in CREG-CTC Heavy Equipment Co., Ltd. in Foshan. The equipment will be used in the control project of the Jihua Road West Extension Line in Foshan.

With a total length of 2,655 meters and a shield section length of 1,472 meters, the tunnel is a double-tube, two-way and six-lane super large diameter shield tunnel. The construction difficulties include shallow overburden, high permeability, upper soft lower hard geology, long-distance tunneling, etc. Two 15m-grade slurry TBMs are tailor-made based on rich design and manufacture experience. 'Jihua 1' which just rolled off production line is the largest diameter TBM in Guangzhou and Foshan. Equipped with industry-leading atmospheric pressure cutting wheel, high pressure waterproof sealing system, telescopic main drive system, large-flow slurry circulation system, efficient logistics transportation system and other advanced technologies, the adaptability, reliability and efficiency of the machine are greatly improved and it offers strong support for the safe and high-quality construction of the project.