On November 13, 2010, ALPINE celebrated the cut-through in the Pinglu tunnel in the Chinese province Shanxi with Austrian and Chinese guests of honour and the entire tunnelling crew. After a construction period of five years, this was a real success for the team around the Division General Manager at ALPINE BeMo Tunnelling, Meik Müller: “There isn’t a longer single TBM drilling in the entire world. In other words, with 25,386 m drilling length, the Pinglu Tunnel is currently the longest tunnel drilled with a single tunnel boring machine. To us, this cut-through is a milestone in mechanical tunnelling!”
The Pinglu-Tunnel is part of a visionary water-conveyance-structure project (Shanxi Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project) that will provide a dry region of China with the water from the Yellow River. Due to the length of the sough, this project held a number of challenges. Towards the end of the mining drive, workers had to daily travel 90 minutes before even reaching their work place. A complex ventilation system was necessary to continuously provide the tunnel with fresh air. The material was also subjected to enormous stress: “The trains transporting people and material into and out of the tunnel had to travel hundreds of kilometres daily”, Müller reports. “There seemingly was no end to the maintenance work.”
Now, the project team can take a deep breath – an important section has been completed. The remaining works will only require a few more months. In 2011, the Pinglu Tunnel will be completed and will finally provide a formerly dry region with clear water.
Picture Gallery Cut-Through Pinglu-Tunnel
Our 2.2010 issue of our company magazine INSIDE will provide more information on the Shanxi Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project.
