Recently, the under-construction Fangbai Intercity Railway reached a major engineering milestone: the first two shield machines were successfully launched from the shield shaft in the Renhe–Airport East section (hereinafter referred to as the "Renji Shield Shaft") and the vertical shaft behind Fangcun Station, respectively, marking the project's official entry into the shield tunneling construction phase. As of now, the civil engineering works of the Fangbai Intercity Railway project (Fangcun to Baiyun Airport) have completed 9% cumulatively.

Passing Close to Airport Facilities

The left-line tunnel of the Renji Shield Shaft–Airport East section is about 3,050 meters long, and the right-line tunnel is about 3,080 meters long, running roughly north-south. After launching from the shield shaft, the shield machine drives eastward, successively passing beneath a river channel, the subgrade section of the T3 toll station on the Airport Expressway, and the Lixi Main Canal, running parallel to the Airport Second Expressway for about 1,020 meters, and passing beneath the red line of the new airport land parcel, with a minimum distance of about 43 meters from the airport glide slope beacon station. The shield machine then proceeds northwest and finally enters Airport East Station.

To ensure construction safety, Guangzhou Metro and the construction units—the general contracting department of the China State Construction Fangbai Intercity Project and China Construction Eighth Engineering Division—as well as the supervision unit Zhujiang Supervision, actively communicated and coordinated with all parties during the preliminary construction, successfully completing the work to stabilize the section alignment scheme. To ensure the smooth launch of the shield, the metro builders proactively coordinated with the power supply unit and implemented a 24-hour leadership duty system to guarantee power supply and safety for the shield launch.

Using Dual-Mode Shield to Tunnel Beneath the Pearl River

The left-line tunnel of the Fangcun–Caihongqiao section at the southern end of the line is about 4,415 meters long. The shield launch site is located on the bank of the Pearl River. After launching, the shield machine immediately passes beneath the Pearl River embankment and waters, requiring numerous procedures to be handled in advance. Due to the narrow shield launch site, the layout of temporary facilities and the efficiency of shaft assembly were severely constrained; the split assembly time was short and the requirements were high; and the influence of the "Dragon Boat water" (pre-summer heavy rainfall) in the Guangzhou region posed many challenges to the builders. To this end, a slurry and earth-pressure-balance dual-mode shield machine was deployed for the section tunnel construction, and the split launch method was adopted.

The builders from Guangzhou Metro and the construction unit Guangdong Huasui, as well as the supervision unit Jiangsu Jianke, actively coordinated with the competent authorities at all levels, obtained the relevant construction permits for passing beneath the Pearl River in advance, and completed the connection of the main power supply and temporary water supply for the shield in advance, creating conditions for the shield launch. To ensure safe shield tunneling, the metro builders strengthened monitoring and inspection of the Pearl River embankment and waters, and prepared emergency response plans and risk prevention and control measures to prevent and overcome construction risks.

As of now, the civil engineering works of the Fangbai Intercity Railway project (Fangcun to Baiyun Airport) have completed 9% cumulatively. Of the 10 stations, 1 has been topped out, 6 are under civil engineering construction, and the remaining 3 are undergoing pre-construction preparation. Of the 10 sections, 4 are under civil engineering construction, and the remaining 6 are undergoing pre-construction preparation.