On the morning of July 18, as the cutterhead rotated, the first shield machine for Phase I of Shijiazhuang Metro Line 2 was successfully launched at Yunheqiao Station, marking a comprehensive acceleration of underground construction for this north-south backbone rail transit line in Shijiazhuang.
At about 10:30 a.m. yesterday, the reporter arrived at Yunheqiao Station of Phase I of Metro Line 2, located at the intersection of Jianshe North Street and Fengshou Road. Standing at the shield shaft and looking down, a shield machine draped in red cloth could be seen nearly 20 meters below in the shaft, ready for launch, with the three large characters "Jianshe Hao" printed on it.
Cui Meng, shield manager of China Railway First Group for Section 07 of Metro Line 2, told the reporter that this shield machine is about 80 meters long, about 6.2 meters in diameter, and weighs over 500 tons. It previously served Tianjin Metro. "This shield machine arrived at the site on June 5 this year," Cui Meng said. After more than a month of careful assembly and strict debugging, it is now fully ready for launch.
According to reports, Yunheqiao Station is laid out north-south along Jianshe North Street and is constructed using the open-cut method. Its structural form is an underground double-story, three-span rectangular frame structure. The total designed length of the station is 180 meters, the width of the main standard section is 21.1 meters, and the excavation depth of the foundation pit is 16.4 to 18.8 meters. The station has four entrances/exits and two groups of ventilation pavilions.
At about 10:58, the shield machine was officially started, the cutterhead began to rotate, and the shield machine began advancing toward Lantian Shengmu Station. "The section between Lantian Shengmu Station and Yunheqiao Station is 1,322 meters long, the longest section in Phase I of Metro Line 2. The section will also pass beneath the Shide Railway and the Shijiazhuang-Jinan Passenger Dedicated Line, which are Level 1 risk sources," Cui Meng said. To ensure completion of the underpass project before the opening of the Shijiazhuang-Jinan Passenger Dedicated Line, they will adopt a split-launch method with two shield machines. Following the launch of the right-line shield on July 18, the left-line tunnel will also begin shield launching at the end of the month. The right-line tunnel is expected to be completed by the end of this year, and the left-line tunnel by early next year.
According to reports, Metro Line 2 is a north-south backbone line in Shijiazhuang's rail transit network plan. Phase I of Line 2 is 16.2 kilometers long and has 15 stations (Jiahua Station, Nanwei Station, Tatan South Station, Tatan Station, Shijiazhuang Station, Dongsanjiao Station, Donggangtou Station, Xinshilong Station, Daxiyuan Station, Beiguo Mall Station, Chang'an Park Station, Lantian Shengmu Station, Yunheqiao Station, Railway University Station, and Xigucheng Station), all underground, with an average station spacing of 1.04 kilometers.
There are five transfer stations: Shijiazhuang Station, Beiguo Mall Station, Tatan South Station, Xinshilong Station, and Lantian Shengmu Station. The civil works for Beiguo Mall Station and Shijiazhuang Station were constructed in advance under Lines 1 and 3 respectively. Of the remaining stations, 10 are open-cut stations, 1 is a covered excavation station, 1 is a mined station, and 1 is an open-cut station at both ends with a mined section in the middle. There is one Jiahua depot, and the control center is shared with other rail transit lines.
Liu Zemin, deputy general manager of China Railway North Company and commander of the China Railway Shijiazhuang Metro Line 1 headquarters, introduced that Phase I of Metro Line 2 entered the comprehensive construction stage in September last year. Currently, except for Dongsanjiao Station, the other 14 stations in Phase I of Line 2 have begun hoarding and construction, and 7 have entered main structure construction. It is expected that by the end of the year, all 9 shield machines on the line will be launched, 3 stations will achieve main structure topping-out, and 4 sections will be completed. Tunnel breakthrough is expected in the first half of 2019, and trial operation is expected by the end of 2020.
As a backbone line running north-south through Shijiazhuang, Phase I of Line 2 connects major passenger flow points such as the Xigucheng transportation hub, the North Second Ring residential area, the Zhongshan Road commercial area, the Dongsanjiao residential area, the new Shijiazhuang passenger station, and the Northern Pharmaceutical Expo Park; it links highway and railway transportation hubs and is an important channel for urban passenger transport distribution; and it strengthens the connection between the central urban area and peripheral clusters. Once completed and opened to traffic, it will help form a basic rail transit skeleton network connecting major areas of the city, effectively drive Shijiazhuang's main commercial circles and connect the city's north and south poles, and is of great significance for realizing the city's transportation strategic layout, expanding urban space, adjusting the industrial structure, and promoting regional economic development.