Macao-Macao tunnel extension completes undersea tunnel project

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Macao-Macao tunnel extension completes undersea tunnel project

An aerial photo taken on March 9, 2022 shows the Hengqin checkpoint connecting the Macao Special Administrative Region with Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong province. The undersea tunnel section, a part of the extension of the Hengqin Line, a light rapid transit route connecting China's Macao Special Administrative Region and the neighboring Hengqin Island in Guangdong province, was completed on Friday, according to its developers.

The completion of the project is a breakthrough in Macao's first undersea tunnel project, built by state-owned Namkwong Real Estate Co, China Civil Engineering Construction Corp, China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group and China Railway 16th Bureau Group Corp.

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TBMs are used to excavate tunnels, subway tubes and sewer lines. In comparison with traditional tunnel-boring methods like rock drilling, blasting and hand mining in soils, the use of such equipment can minimize the impact on the surrounding ground and create a smooth tunnel wall, helping certain tunnel projects run through unstable geological conditions.

The total length of the project is about 2.2 kilometers and the shield tunnel section has 906 meters. The Aoqin No 1, a large shield tunneling machine manufactured in Changsha, Hunan province, was applied in this project with a diameter of 7.98 meters. According to a statement released by CCECC, a subsidiary of Beijing-based China Railway Construction Corp., it is roughly 87 meters long and weighs around 600 metric tons.

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The giant machine is equipped with a series of smart systems such as advanced geological detection, high-precision gas-liquid equilibrium and visual soil bin monitoring, which helps ensure engineering security during construction, as well as adopting the double-joint design for ultra-small turning radius.

The line is connected to the Lotus Checkpoint Station, part of the Taipa Line, near the Lotus Bridge in Macao starting from the elevated station HE 1, the line is connected to the Lotus Checkpoint Station. It runs along the Lotus Bridge and crosses the Shizimen Waterway before entering Hengqin Island in Zhuhai Province, through an underwater tunnel, and then arrives at the underground HE 2 station in front of Hengqin Port.

Experts said that the new line is expected to be a second option for passengers transiting Hengqin Port, a key transportation hub for Zhuhai-Macao border-crossing.

Because the extension section of Hengqin Line is a major public service project for the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland in 2024, it will strengthen the regional cooperation within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area GBA, said Feng Hao, a researcher at the National Development and Reform Commission's Institute of Comprehensive Transportation in Beijing.

He said it will increase passenger volume in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, as well as enhancing the connectivity between Zhuhai and Macao.

The GBA has a complete supply chain in all aspects. It is supported by a number of international airports and major seaports in the world, two of the world's fastest-growing stock exchanges and an international financial center. The better transportation infrastructure development will boost the region's competitiveness, said Lin Jiang, professor of economics at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou.

The GBA is rich in tourism resources. He said that this should be used to promote regional economic interaction, tourism investment and domestic consumption.