"Lighthouse" Shield Machine Reaches the Heart of the Yangtze River

　　

       On April 16, the "Lighthouse" shield machine, the world's largest diameter high-speed rail tunnel boring machine independently developed by China, successfully reached the heart of the Yangtze River during the construction of the Chongming-Taicang Yangtze River Tunnel for the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High Speed Railway. The machine has advanced 5,660 meters and completed the 2830th ring. With a cutterhead diameter of 15.4 meters, the "Lighthouse" machine incorporates advanced technologies such as intelligent tunneling, smart assembly and geotechnical forecasting. It operates using a "manned monitoring, unmanned operation" mode for efficient progress.