On June 4, the first catenary support pole for the Shantou Bay undersea tunnel on the Shantou–Shanwei High-Speed Railway was precisely installed, marking the official start of the overhead contact system installation for the world’s first 350 km/h single-bore double-track high-speed rail undersea tunnel, which stretches 9,781 meters.
The project team from Wuhan Railway Electrification Bureau Group, a subsidiary of CREC, adopted full-tunnel channel layout techniques for accurate pole positioning, a custom-designed fluorocarbon anti-corrosion coating process, and a self-developed tunnel catenary pole lifting and installation platform. These innovations addressed challenges in precision construction and corrosion resistance. Notably, the installation platform reduces manpower by two-thirds compared to traditional ladder trucks, while doubling installation efficiency. The “zero-error” installation of the first pole provides a valuable reference for the subsequent installation of 459 poles.
The Shantou–Shanwei High-Speed Railway is the Shantou section of the Ningbo–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway, with a total length of 162 kilometers. It connects Shantou and Shanwei within Guangdong Province. The section between Shantou South Station and Shanwei Station was put into operation in December 2023. The Shantou Bay Tunnel lies between Shantou Station and Shantou South Station. Once completed, the railway will play a vital role in integrating eastern Guangdong into the Greater Bay Area’s one-hour-transport-circle.
