Skip to main content

German minister oversees huge Herrenknecht TBM tunnel deal for Wuhan, China

German Minister of Economy and Energy, Sigmar Gabriel, attended the signing of a prized contract for the delivery of two Herrenknecht tunnel boring machines (TBM) for a large multi-functional tunnel in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
April 28, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
German Minister of Economy and Energy, Sigmar Gabriel, attended the signing of a prized contract for the delivery of two 2592 Herrenknecht tunnel boring machines (TBM) for a large multi-functional tunnel in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

The German firm’s key contract with 5250 Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (STEC) was signed in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province on 23 April 2014 and will see Herrenknecht TBM’s play a vital role in extending Wuhan’s Metro network from three to seven lines, from 73km to 215km, by 2017. The megaproject in Wuhan, which has a population of 10 million, will enhance the city’s status as the most important transport hub in central China.

The two Mixshields with an excavation diameter of 15.76m being supplied to STEC by Herrenknecht will Cross under the Yangtze River in Wuhan and create a twin-bore double-decker tunnel. A three-lane road will run on the upper deck, with Metro line 7 below. The 2,590m long tunnel alignment runs up to 39.5m below the water surface in complex soil. On the one hand, a high water pressure of 5.3bar must be dealt with. In addition, the tunnel runs through varying geological formations, partly completely sand and clay, partly a mixed geology with mudstone, conglomerates and sand.

With its size and multi-purpose use, the Wuhan multi-functional tunnel construction is said to be a flagship project for mechanised tunnelling worldwide.

Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (STEC) has previously used Herrenknecht equipment on a number of other large-scale tunnelling projects in China, usually months ahead of schedule. These include several large-diameter road tunnels in Hangzhou and Shanghai.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Gordie Howe Bridge progresses with community support money pledged
    June 18, 2019
    The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority and other agencies involved in the US$4.25 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge have pledged millions of dollars in community support. WDBA, contractor Bridging North America, the US state of Michigan and the federal Canadian government announced the support plan, which involves more than 30 agencies and organisations, according to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The plan includes a $15 million Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy for both s
  • New traffic solutions for the UK
    July 15, 2015
    Two major developments being introduced will help optimise traffic flow on routes carrying high volumes of vehicles/day. An installation of Flexicon’s flexible conduit will help keep the traffic flowing on one of the busiest sections of the M6 motorway through Birmingham by protecting power and data cabling for overhead gantries and CCTV cameras. On behalf of Highways England, who is implementing a hard shoulder running scheme between junctions 5 and 8, contractor’s Carillion is using the 63mm diameter L
  • Lane picks up Florida SR408 widening project in Orange County
    July 18, 2017
    Lane Construction Corporation has won a US$76 million contract to widen a section of State Road 408 in Orange County, Florida.The project entails adding a thirds lane to each carriageway over a 5.2km stretch of SR408. It will also involve widening a ramp from two lanes to three lanes, adding sound walls as well as extra open road tolling - ORT - lanes.
  • Breakthrough near for Čebrať Tunnel
    December 17, 2021
    The 3.5km-long tunnel through Slovakia’s Čebrať Hills is part of the D1 Ružomberok bypass.