On May 6, the Shanghai Municipal Railway Airport Link Line Project Section 3, invested and constructed by Shanghai Shentie and undertaken by STEC Shanghai Tunnel, reached a key milestone: the domestic super-large-diameter shield tunneling machine "Qiyue" was successfully launched at the Meifu Road working shaft.

The shield-driven section from the Meifu Road working shaft to Huajing Station has a total length of 2,183.6 m, comprising 1,092 rings. The shield machine will pass beneath two high-voltage transmission towers, the Hongmei South Road Viaduct, Metro Line 15, as well as intricate water, gas, power, and telecommunications pipelines, and will also traverse various complex soil strata, posing considerable construction risks.

A Domestic "Super" Shield with Five Major Advantages

The "Qiyue" super-large-diameter shield tunneling machine was independently developed by STEC Shanghai Tunnel. Its cutterhead has a cutting diameter of 14.05 m and a maximum advance speed of 60 mm/min, enabling flexible turning during tunnel excavation.

In response to the project's engineering challenges, the "Qiyue" shield features five special technologies—atmospheric cutter change technology for the cutting system, high-pressure sealing technology for the drive system, reconfigurable zoned hydraulic control technology for the propulsion system, multi-method ground settlement control technology, and trackless frame technology for the auxiliary system—forming five major advantages of reliable cutting, high-pressure sealing, stable attitude, risk assurance, and efficient transport for the shield equipment.

Municipal Railway Construction Enters a New Stage

The Shanghai Rail Transit Municipal Line Airport Link Line mainly serves municipal passenger flows between the two airports and within the city, while also accommodating intercity passenger flows between Pudong New Area and nearby areas of the Yangtze River Delta adjacent to Shanghai. It is an important connecting line linking Pudong with Shanghai's main external railway passenger transport corridors, facilitating travel for residents along the route.

The Shanghai Airport Link Line has a total length of 68.6 km, passing through three districts—Minhang, Xuhui, and Pudong—with multiple stations including Hongqiao, Qibao, Huajing, and Sanlin South.