On August 5, the inclined shaft of Jicang No. 1 Tunnel of the Xicheng Railway Project Section 3 was successfully completed, marking an important milestone achievement in the project's construction.

Jicang No. 1 Tunnel is designed as a single-tube double-track tunnel with a total length of 8,267.55 meters. The tunnel body mostly passes through Class IV and Class V surrounding rock, with complex geological conditions and poor stability, making it a key and difficult project and a high-risk project within the section. One inclined shaft is provided for auxiliary construction. The completed inclined shaft of Jicang No. 1 Tunnel has a total length of 1,242 meters and an average gradient of 7.25%; upon completion, it is of great significance to the progress of the entire Jicang No. 1 Tunnel project.

Since the start of construction, the project team has adhered to high-standard planning, high-standard construction, and high-efficiency advancement, continuously strengthening on-site safety and quality standardization management and process control. Strictly upholding the construction management philosophy of "standardization, normalization, and refinement," and using mechanization, automation, and informatization as leverage, the team has actively introduced complete sets of specialized tunnel machinery, including automatic hydraulic inverted-arch trestles, integrated waterproof-board and geotextile installation trolleys, and multifunctional spray curing equipment, effectively guaranteeing construction quality and safety at the source.

The inclined shaft passes through complex geological structures with relatively soft rock. The project team strictly followed the principles of "advance pipe forepoling, strict grouting, short excavation, strong support, early closure, and frequent measurement," promptly installing support after face excavation to reduce the exposure time of surrounding rock. At the same time, geological detection was strengthened, dedicated personnel were assigned to monitor on site, in-tunnel monitoring and measurement and tunnel deformation monitoring were enhanced, and monitoring information was fed back in a timely manner. TSP advanced geological prediction and face sketching were used for advanced geological forecasting, avoiding and mitigating the impact of multiple adverse geological conditions to the greatest extent. Operations were carried out strictly in accordance with specifications and plans, various violations in construction were eliminated, and construction safety was ensured. This greatly improved tunnel construction efficiency and the physical quality of the works, ensuring the safe, high-quality, and efficient achievement of the inclined shaft construction goal.

It is understood that the Xicheng Railway is an important component of the Lanzhou (Xining)–Guangzhou corridor, a longitudinal main channel of the national "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" high-speed railway network. Once completed and opened to traffic, it will strengthen exchanges between the Lanzhou-Xining urban agglomeration and the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration, promote interconnection between the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "Yangtze River Economic Belt," and be of great significance for promoting economic and social development along the route and supporting rural revitalization.