The Yiliang Tunnel, China's longest high-speed railway tunnel on the Chongqing-Kunming High-Speed Railway in the southwest, was drilled through on Wednesday.
Located in Zhaotong City of Yunnan Province, the Yiliang Tunnel is 24.8 kilometers in length, and is designed for speeds up to 350 kilometers per hour. For the time being, it is also the tunnel for fastest speed of railway trains in China.
The tunnel goes through the interior of Wumeng Mountains, known as a geological museum for the complex terrains and geological conditions there, which posed tremendous challenges for the constructors.
"To tackle the highland stress and rock burst, we carried out measures of pre-stress relief, spray application of fiber-reinforced concrete, increasing prestressed anchor rods and more, effectively ensuring construction safety and facilitating the project progress," said Rao Shengbin, a project leader from China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co.,Ltd.
The Chongqing-Kunming High-Speed Railway is 700 kilometers in total length, with 388.6 kilometers in Yunnan. It is Yunnan Province's first high-speed railway with a designed speed up to 350 km per hour, and it is now in its final stage of construction.
Once completed, the travel time between Chongqing and Kunming will be shortened to around two and a half hours, significantly enhancing local connectivity, and promoting high-quality economic and social development along the route.
Longest high-speed railway tunnel drilled through
A fearless motorist has been hailed for his heroic actions after he bravely intervened to tackle a truck fire on a highway in north China, repeatedly risking his life as he crawled beneath the burning vehicle multiple times to tackle the flames before firefighters arrived.
The incident unfolded on a stretch of highway near Changzhi City of Shanxi Province, when a fire suddenly erupted around the blown-out left rear tire of a broken down truck.
Seeing the scene, a passing motorist surnamed Du did not hesitate as he pulled in at the roadside and leapt into action. As a member of a civilian rescue team with professional firefighting skills, Du retrieved a fire extinguisher from his vehicle and rushed towards the stricken truck, crawling underneath it to face the flames.
When that initial effort failed to tame the blaze, Du flagged down other drivers and borrowed fire extinguishers from their vehicles. Overall, he made no less than five trips under the truck in his bold fight against the fire, all while doing his best to ensure his own safety.
Thanks to Du's timely efforts, the fire was effectively contained as he prevented it from spreading further until help arrived.
Local firefighters soon reached the scene after receiving emergency calls and immediately went to work to suppress the flames using two water hoses, while Du and others helped maintain order nearby.
After 40 minutes of efforts, the fire was fully extinguished, with no casualties reported, thanks to Du's quick-thinking intervention.
Heroic motorist bravely crawls beneath burning truck to tackle blaze on highway
