On August 26, 2025, the "Kaixuan" pipe-jacking machine for metro sidings was successfully launched at the Huajiachi Station of Hangzhou Metro Line No. 18 (Phase I), marking the application of China's first super large cross-section rectangular pipe-jacking machine to metro siding construction.
With Shenzhen University as the technical support unit, Chen Xiangsheng, Dean of the College of Civil and Transportation Engineering at Shenzhen University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, leads the pipe jacking research team. Now, they are tackling key technical challenges for long-distance jacking of deep-buried super large rectangular pipes in high-water-pressure soft soil strata with full efforts, providing crucial support for the project's smooth progress.
This project represents China's application of rectangular pipe jacking technology to metro siding construction for the first time, showcasing the further promotion and application of the key rectangular pipe jacking technology developed under the key R&D program of Guangdong Province, "Key Technologies for Underground Metro Station Construction in Urban Areas," led by Academician Chen Xiangsheng.
The successful launch of the "Kaixuan" signifies that the demonstration project of China Railway Engineering Group's major initiative, "Research and Application of New Micro-Disturbance High-Precision Jacking Construction Technologies for Super Large Cross-Section Prefabricated Tunnels," has officially entered the implementation phase. This highlights China's new breakthroughs in theoretical research, technological development, and equipment manufacturing in the field of rectangular pipe jacking, and marks the pivotal step forward China has made in rail transit construction technology toward mechanization and intelligence.
