The 9,781 meter-long Shantou Bay Tunnel -- the world's first single-hole double-track undersea tunnel with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour, has officially started construction recently. As a crucial project of Shantou-Shanwei Railway, the tunnel passes through Shantou Bay between Mayu Island and Dezhou Island on the lower reaches of the Shantou Bay Bridge.

Construction site of the tunnel.

The Shantou-Shanwei Railway will be connected to the Guangzhou-Shanwei High Speed Railway (currently under construction), linking Guangzhou with Huizhou, Shanwei, and Shantou. Meanwhile, the Shantou-Shanwei Railway will also connect Xiamen-Shenzhen, Ganzhou-Shenzhen, Guangzhou-Shenzhen railways upon completion.

By shortening the development distance between eastern Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta, the construction of Shantou-Shanwei Railway will speed up the urbanization along this route, develop a new high-speed rail economic belt, revitalize eastern Guangdong as well as promote a balanced and coordinated economic development in Guangdong.

The tunnel adopted six construction methods in different sections due to the harsh construction environment, complex geological and hydrogeological conditions, high construction risks, and constraints of the building period.

Author: Hannah

Editor: Monica, Jerry