Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway triumphs over challenges

The contractors have tackled a raft of technical challenges to pave the way for the ongoing construction of the Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway.

Spanning a total length of 482 kilometers, the Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway construction is in the final stages and it is scheduled to open in September. The railway includes 108 tunnels and 193 bridges, covering a total distance of 430.35 km. Most of these structures are constructed on karst landforms, posing high levels of difficulty and safety risks.

To combat the challenges of tunnel construction, the construction units have developed over 30 sets of intelligent construction equipment and more than 50 patented construction methods, which have placed them at the forefront of the industry nationwide.

In the 282-km section of Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway, ballastless track beds are employed.

A digitized and intelligent production line began trial operations at the Hechi Sleeper Factory at the end of 2020, producing 889,000 rails for the railway. This is regarded as being the most advanced unmanned manufacturing production line in China's high-speed railway industry.

The Chengjiang Double-line Bridge along the railway measures 15.5 km in length, making it the longest railway bridge in Guangxi.

The bridge passes through the Chengjiang National Wetland Park and the second-level protection zone for drinking water sources in the Chengjiang River. So far, 251 species of vertebrates, including 160 species of birds, have been discovered in this area. These birds are very sensitive to the headlights of passing trains.

To safeguard this "bird paradise," an additional budget of 38 million yuan ($5.2 million) has been allocated by the construction unit to install a sound and light barrier. This technology has largely avoided disturbance to the bird population.

In addition, segment assembly beam technology has been adopted by contractors. This has reduced the number of bridge support columns by 34 and the occupation of farmland within the wetland park by over 2,200 square meters.

An aerial view of the Chengjiang Double-line Bridge. [Photo/Hechi Daily]