Skip to main content

Chinese tunnel projects discussed

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Wen Jiabao, Premier of the People’s Republic of China, recently visited the Herrenknecht plant in Guangzhou as part of her trip to China. The delegation included, among others, 20 high-level representatives of German industry, and Dr Martin Herrenknecht, chairman of Herrenknecht, presented the company to Chancellor Merkel and Premier Wen, and talked about important Chinese and international reference projects.
May 14, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Seen in front of the Herrenknecht EPB Shield being used for the Metro in Dongguan are visitors to the company's plant including (second from left) Dr Martin Herrenknecht; Dr Angela Merkel (third from left) and Wen Jiabao (fourth from left)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Wen Jiabao, Premier of the People’s Republic of China, recently visited the 2592 Herrenknecht plant in Guangzhou as part of her trip to China.

The delegation included, among others, 20 high-level representatives of German industry, and Dr Martin Herrenknecht, chairman of Herrenknecht, presented the company to Chancellor Merkel and Premier Wen, and talked about important Chinese and international reference projects.

In addition, he introduced a tunnel boring machine (TBM), an Earth Pressure Balance Shield with a diameter of 6.95m, which is being used to construct the Metro Line 2 in Dongguan.

Herrenknecht has been represented on the Chinese growth market since the delivery of the first machines for the construction of the Beijing metro in 2000, and the company generates around 20% of its group sales in China.

The huge economic growth and increasing urbanisation result in a high demand for efficient underground traffic and supply infrastructures, and to date Herrenknecht technology has been used in 275 projects, mostly for inner-city tunnel construction. Some 480km of tunnel tubes have been built using its technology, while a further 200km are being planned.

Among the most important projects is the construction of two double-storey traffic tunnels in Shanghai to connect Changxing river island with the mainland, work carried out using two of the world’s biggest TBMs with diameters of 15.43m each.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Yifan targets wider global appeal
    November 30, 2018
    Chinese aggregates processing equipment firm Yifan says its comprehensive product portfolio is in big demand not only in China, but also in other markets, including Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Headquartered in Zhengzhou, eastern China, Yifan offers a complete range of crushing, screening and washing plants to the aggregates sector. The company has manufacturing and assembly factories in Zhengzhou, Jiangxi and Shanghai, and offices in Beijing, and emphasises that its production process is bas
  • Scotland’s new Queensferry Crossing over the Forth Estuary
    December 23, 2015
    The new Queensferry Crossing under construction in Scotland will be the third landmark bridge spanning the Forth Estuary - Mike Woof writes When the new Queensferry Crossing over the Forth Estuary opens at the end of 2016, it will be the third landmark bridge to be built spanning this short stretch of water. Lying alongside the existing road bridge and the historic rail bridge, this new structure will be as groundbreaking as the two earlier crossings were at the time of their construction.
  • Increasing importance of alternate truck routes
    February 14, 2012
    The fabled Silk Route from China to Europe takes many forms, and is again becoming increasingly important as Patrick Smithreports The ancient Silk Road was never a single caravan route, but covered hundreds of kilometres in width extending in length for around 10,000km. This is the view of the European International Road Transport Union (IRU), and many other countries and organisations, who point out that it is a system of routes covering many countries via a series of branch roads that dates back some 2
  • Webuild sees double-digit growth in H1
    July 28, 2025
    Construction group's growth 'greater than expected' with revenues up 22%