The reporter learned from China Railway Xi'an Group Co., Ltd. that the Taikang Tunnel, a control project of the Xi'an-Yan'an High-Speed Railway, has recently fully commenced construction. After this first high-speed railway in northern Shaanxi is completed and opened to traffic, the railway travel time between Xi'an and Yan'an will be shortened to about 1 hour.

The Taikang Tunnel, a high-risk control tunnel of the Xi'an-Yan'an High-Speed Railway, has a total length of 13.59 kilometers and is designed as a single-tube double-track tunnel, with a maximum burial depth of about 230 meters and a minimum burial depth of about 7 meters. It is one of the three major key control projects in the middle section of the Xi'an-Yan'an High-Speed Railway.

According to the construction contractor, because the geological types in the area traversed by the tunnel are varied, including collapsible loess as well as shale, sandstone and other geological types, collapse is highly likely to occur. The overall project carries high safety risks, involves complex construction techniques and is difficult to build. To this end, the construction team has adopted more than 20 techniques, including a warning and monitoring device for cavities above the tunnel crown and an automatic spray curing system, to continuously accelerate tunnel excavation and ensure the quality and safety of high-speed railway construction.

The Xi'an-Yan'an High-Speed Railway is an important component of the Baotou (Yinchuan)-Haikou high-speed railway corridor in the national high-speed railway network. The line is approximately 300 kilometers long, built to the standard of a double-track passenger dedicated line with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour. Once completed and put into operation, it will be of great significance in boosting rural revitalization in the old revolutionary base areas.