Offshore drilling has been completed for the construction of China’s 1st undersea high-speed railway tunnel in east China’s Zhejiang Province. Construction workers finished the drilling on the 23rd of May, laying a foundation for the construction of the 16.2-km Jintang undersea tunnel linking the Jintang islet of Zhoushan and the coastal area of Ningbo, said Shi Chao, project manager for the offshore drilling of the tunnel.
China’s 1st undersea high-speed railway tunnel
The tunnel is an important facility for the 77-km high-speed railway line connecting cities of Ningbo and Zhoushan in the province, which will end the history of the Zhoushan islands without railway lines. According to the maritime affairs bureau of Ningbo, online approval and inspection were adopted amid the novel coronavirus epidemic to ensure the construction progress.
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China’s high-speed rail network
China’s high-speed rail network is the world’s largest, covering 12,500km, and the government aims to have 38,000km of track in place by 2025. Projects like the Ningbo-Zhoushan rail link will form part of a major rail-building programme that this year is projected to see 4,000km of new rail lines built, of which 3,500km will be high speed.
China’s investment in high-speed rail, which also includes the development of the world’s fastest trains, is part of its massive infrastructure spending programme. The programme includes landmark investments such as its $900 billion Belt and Road initiative, developing east-west land and sea trade routes with infrastructure investments in 68 countries.
