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

  • New bridge is spanning China’s Yangtze River
    June 28, 2013
    There is massive development in design and construction of bridges in China and the Yingwuzhou Bridge over the Yangtze River is one key project – Mike Woof reports, with assistance from Route One’s Chinese publishing partner *CMTM Called the Mother River, the Yangtze is a focal point for China politically, economically and culturally. The river has been at the heart of China’s development for millennia, its history stretching back as far as the dawn of human civilisation. The name Yangtze, or Yangzi, is its
  • TBMs cut routes through Wuxi
    May 29, 2013
    Often used in road construction in China, eight Herrenknecht tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have now excavated almost 16km of tunnel in 20 months. The machines mastered challenging tunnelling stretches with small overburdens, crossing beneath the emerging metropolis of Wuxi, eastern China, to excavate the first two metro lines in the 3,000-year-old town on Taihu Lake, near Shanghai. Lines 1 and 2, with a total length of 58.5km, are expected to start operation in 2014. A total of five metro lines are planned.
  • Turkey’s important new tunnel will improve transport links
    May 18, 2016
    Major advances in tunnelling will allow cars to travel underneath the Bosphorus sea channel in Turkey's Istanbul next year when its third road link is opened, writes Adrian Greeman. The Bosphorus is redolent with history and strategic significance. As one of the world's most significant sea connections, linking the landlocked Black Sea to the Marmara Sea and the Mediterranean beyond, it has been vitally important for trade and crucial for military access. It is also one of the biggest obstacles for land tra
  • Tunnel driven by TBM
    August 7, 2020
    A major tunnel drive has been carried out by a TBM in Italy.