CREG’s Large‑Diameter Single‑Shield TBM “Shenguan No. 6” Successfully Launched

On Aug. 5, the large‑diameter single‑shield TBM “Shenguan No.6” supplied by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group (CREG) was successfully launched at Working Shaft No. 5 of Lot 6 of the Shenzhen-Jiangmen Railway in Bao’an District, Shenzhen, marking the official commencement of full‑scale tunneling operations for this lot.

The main line of the Shenzhen‑Jiangmen Railway stretches 116 km. The newly launched “Shenguan No. 6” single‑shield TBM undertakes excavation of the 8,026.3‑m ultra‑long tunnel section between Shaft No. 5 and Shaft No. 6 of Lot 6. During construction, it will continuously pass underneath Metro Line 11, Metro Line 20, the Sui‑Guan‑Shen Intercity Railway, Fuyong River and numerous existing buildings and structures. This section ranks among the most challenging and longest tunnel sections along the entire railway line.

To address the complex geological conditions and construction challenges of the project, CREG’s R&D team custom‑developed the “Shenguan No. 6” single‑shield TBM. With an excavation diameter of 13.23 m, an overall length of approximately 160 m and a total machine weight of around 3,600 tons, the machine is equipped with a suite of advanced technologies to substantially improve the intelligent construction capabilities for ultra‑long tunnels under complex geological conditions. It is tasked with excavating the 8,026.3‑m single‑bore double‑track tunnel between Shaft No. 5 and Shaft No. 6.

The construction area features hard surrounding rock with locally developed fissure water. The TBM has to traverse mixed ground with alternating hard and soft strata, while continuously passing beneath operational metro lines, existing railways, multiple river channels and dense built‑up structures. Multiple construction difficulties arise, including strict control over ground surface settlement and high‑precision requirements for machine attitude control.

As a key component of the coastal corridor within China’s “Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal” high‑speed railway network, the Shenzhen‑Jiangmen Railway connects five cities: Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Jiangmen. Upon completion and opening to traffic, high‑speed rail travel between Shenzhen and Jiangmen will take less than one hour. The project will provide strong support for accelerating the development of the “Greater Bay Area on Rails” and advancing high‑quality integrated regional development.