Recently, the drill-and-blast tunnel equipment of CRCHI (China Railway Construction Heavy Industry) helped the main tunnel of the main trunk line of the Yangtze River-to-Han River Water Diversion Project achieve a breakthrough of 1,000 meters in excavation, reaching the annual milestone target 4 days ahead of schedule.

The Yangtze River-to-Han River Water Diversion Project is the follow-up water source project of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and is also the first project to commence construction among the follow-up projects of the South-to-North Water Diversion. The project has a total length of 194.8 kilometers, diverting water from the Three Gorges Reservoir area of the Yangtze River into the Han River, with its terminus at the Anle River estuary on the right bank of the Han River downstream of the Danjiangkou Reservoir Dam. The average annual water diversion volume is 3.9 billion cubic meters. Construction began on July 7, 2022. The project plays an important role in fully leveraging the water conveyance potential of the Middle Route Project, enhancing the water resource allocation capacity of the Han River Basin, and further improving the water supply stability of the northern receiving areas. It is an important step in building the national water network during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

The drill-and-blast tunnel of the Yangtze River-to-Han River Water Diversion Project is approximately 60.5 kilometers long, with surrounding rock predominantly of Classes III and IV. The major construction challenges include long-distance hard rock excavation, hard rock rockburst, fault fracture zones, high external water pressure, and sudden water inrush, placing exceptionally high demands on equipment quality and efficiency. CRCHI's complete set of equipment, including fully computerized rock drilling jumbos, wet shotcrete machines, rock bolt jumbos, and arch trolleys, has been assembled at the Yangtze River-to-Han River Water Diversion Project to contribute to this landmark project.

In June 2023, the main tunnel of the outlet section of the main trunk line of the Yangtze River-to-Han River Water Diversion Project, undertaken by Sinohydro Bureau 5 Co., Ltd., employed CRCHI's ZYS113 fully computerized three-boom rock drilling jumbo for excavation and rock bolting operations. The jumbo achieved an average drilling efficiency of 3.6 meters per second, with smooth blasting overbreak and underbreak controlled within 15 centimeters. With a low failure rate and reliability of over 98.7%, it ensured an average monthly advance of more than 150 meters. Compared with non-intelligent equipment, it achieved significant improvements in engineering quality, schedule efficiency, safety, and environmental protection, with average construction efficiency increased by 20% and operating personnel reduced by 30%, ensuring the early completion of the 2023 annual milestone target.

For adverse geological conditions, CRCHI has integrated intelligent and information technologies into the excavation and support operation lines, fully embodying the concept of intelligent and safe construction. Advanced equipment such as rock drilling jumbos, wet shotcrete machines, arch trolleys, rock bolt jumbos, and mixing plants will stand out in the project construction.