"I hereby declare the tunneling of shield machines 'Kaituo No. 2' and 'Kaituo No. 3' officially begins!" On the morning of September 28, with that command, the shield machines "Kaituo No. 2" and "Kaituo No. 3" for Section 1 of the Shenzhen Metro Line 16 utility tunnel project were launched. This marks the official entry of all three work zones of Section 1 into the shield tunneling construction phase, with production and construction moving onto the "fast track."

It is understood that this project is implemented in sync with Shenzhen Metro Line 16 and accounts for 86.64% of the total length of the rail line's integrated utility tunnel project. China Railway 25th Bureau Group is constructing four shafts and two running tunnel sections within it, with a total length of about 2.3 kilometers, running from south to north and passing beneath Ainan Road and Huangge Road in sequence. The section launched this time runs from Comprehensive Shaft 2 to Receiving Shaft 1, with a total length of 1,178.2 meters. Part of the section lies in a strongly developed karst area, where localized limestone dissolution occurs. The minimum turning radius is 400 m and the maximum longitudinal slope is 47‰, increasing shield machine resistance and making tunneling difficult.

Based on on-site construction conditions, a split-launch tunneling scheme using an 8.8-meter-diameter shield machine was adopted. To ensure a smooth shield launch, all participating parties in the project collaborated closely and planned ahead, remaining at their posts during the Mid-Autumn Festival. While carrying out epidemic prevention and control work, they continuously optimized the shield launch scheme, repeatedly simulated the split-launch posture of the shield, demonstrated posture adjustment schemes in advance, strengthened on-site emergency management, and coordinated all preparatory work during shield tunneling. They successively overcame a series of difficulties, including a small working site, poor geological conditions, high construction difficulty and high risk, providing guarantees for the safe, smooth and stable advancement of the shield machine.

It is reported that the Shenzhen Line 16 joint-construction utility tunnel project is a pilot project for the "co-construction along the rail line" utility tunnel in Longgang District, Shenzhen, and an important measure for new urban infrastructure construction. Once completed, it will be of great significance for solving urban traffic congestion, meeting basic livelihood needs, improving Longgang District's comprehensive carrying capacity, and enhancing the quality of new urbanization development.

He Gang, General Manager of the First Construction Branch of Shenzhen Metro Group, and Xie Jinshui, Deputy General Manager of China Railway Construction South China Headquarters and Chairman of Southern Company, attended the ceremony and delivered speeches. More than 90 people, including heads of relevant departments and units such as the Longcheng Subdistrict Office of Longgang District, Shenzhen Municipal Engineering Quality and Safety Supervision Station, Shenzhen Municipal Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai Metro Consulting Supervision Technology Co., Ltd., and the Shield Company of China Railway 25th Bureau Group, participated in the shield launch ceremony.