"Fenji", China's domestically developed ultra-large-diameter tunnel boring machine, began excavation on June 30 at the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, three months after rolling off the production line at Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone in Nantong on March 31.

The tunnel boring machine "Fenji" begins excavation on June 30 at the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River in Taizhou. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The launch marked the start of shield tunneling for the Yangzhou-Yixing High-Speed Railway Yangtze River Tunnel.

The tunnel is China's first high-speed railway shield tunnel to use socket-type segment lining. It connects Jingjiang in the north with Jiangyin in the south. It has a total length of 8,130 meters, including a 6,710-m shield-driven section, and is designed for trains operating at up to 250 kilometers per hour.

The Yangzhou-Yixing High-Speed Railway starts from Yancheng Station on the Xuzhou-Yancheng High-Speed Railway. It passes through Yancheng, Taizhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and Yixing before connecting to the Nanjing-Hangzhou High-Speed Railway.

The railway will enhance the high-speed rail network in the Yangtze River Delta region, providing a convenient cross-river transport corridor, promoting coordinated development across northern, central and southern Jiangsu, and supporting the high-quality development of the YRD region.