WTC 2024 | TUNNELLING IN CHINA
TUNNELLING PROGRESS OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES IN CHINA
While international tunnellers are aware of China’s many tunnel projects there is so much more to know. China can point to numerous project developments both built and under construction as well as technological innovations.
Setting the scene on tunnelling in China ahead of the World Tunnel Congress 2024 – to be held in Shenzhen, in early 2024 – is Jinxiu Yan, the immediate Past President of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (2022-25) and Co-chair of the WTC2024 organising committee. As one of the country’s top tunnellers, she is also Vice President of Tunnel & Underground Works Branch of China Civil Engineering Society (CCES), and Chief Expert of China Railway Academy Co., Ltd. In this briefing for T&T, she gives an overview of the many projects and technologies that delegates can look forward to learning about in depth, next April, at the huge gathering.
WTC 2024 will be held over 19-25 April 2024, in Shenzhen, China |
www.wtc2024.cn
SNAPSHOT OF TUNNELLING IN CHINA Many of our international tunnelling colleagues are aware of numerous tunnel projects built and under construction in China. However, they might have a limited knowledge of the specific details. It has been 33 years since the 16th ITA General Assembly took place in Chengdu, China, in 1990. Back then, as a young tunnel engineer in the
organizing committee, I was fortunate to attend the 16th ITA General Assembly and WTC1990 (the 16th Annual Meeting and the International Congress). Now, as Co- chair of the WTC2024 organising committee, I have witnessed the progress of China’s tunnelling technology and industry over three decades. I think it would be appropriate to say it’s time for our international tunnelling colleagues to return to China and see the developments since 1990. By the end of 1990, mainland China had only
Above: Jinxiu Yan IMAGES PROVIDED COURTESY OF JINXIU YAN 18 | December 2023
constructed about 2,543km of traffic tunnels, including 2,359km of railway tunnels, 130km of highway tunnels, and 54km of metro tunnels. But, after 33 years of fast development, by the end of 2022 China had completed an impressive total of 56,768km of traffic tunnels, including:
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