On August 6, all seven continuous caissons of China’s first continuous caisson subway station — Caozhuang Station of the Jiaxing-Fengnan Suburban Railway, constructed by the First Engineering company of China Railway Tunnel Group — were successfully and precisely sunk into place.
The Jiaxing-Fengnan Suburban Railway is an important component of the Shanghai-Suzhou-Jiaxing Intercity Railway. It plays a vital role in accelerating regional transportation integration within the Yangtze River Delta and promoting Jiaxing’s integration into the metropolitan area. Caozhuang Station, measuring 283.4 meters in length and composed of seven individual caissons arranged in sequence, is the nation’s first underground station constructed using continuous caisson technology.
The continuous caisson construction method offers significant advantages, including being green and low-carbon, cost-saving, less environmentally disruptive, and time-efficient. During construction, the participating team from China Railway Tunnel Group actively pursued technological innovations in sinking techniques. To address challenges such as pressurized water surges and environmental issues caused by dewatering, they abandoned traditional excavation methods and adopted underwater excavation to balance internal and external pressure differences. This effectively mitigated safety risks from pressurized water surges, minimized environmental impact, and ultimately ensured the precise sinking of all seven caissons.
