On April 29th, 2024, the shield machine "Pilotage" of Chongtai Yangtze River Tunnel of Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High-speed Railway officially entered the stage of shield tunneling, and started the journey across the Yangtze River, marking the significant progress in the construction of Shanghai-Nanjing-Hefei high-speed railway Shanghai-Nanjing section.
At the mouth of the Yangtze River in Chongming District, Shanghai, with the cutter head of the "Pilotage" shield machine slowly rotating, the "Pilotage" shield machine of Chongtai Yangtze River Tunnel of Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway built by Shanghai-Hangzhou Passenger Dedicated Company and China Railway Tunnel Bureau Group started smoothly. This shield machine is independently developed by China and is the largest diameter high-speed rail shield machine in the world.
It is reported that after the completion of the tunnel, the feat of high-speed rail crossing the Yangtze River without slowing down will be realized for the first time, ending the history that Chongming Island has no access to high-speed rail.