On November 3, the “CREC Gongcheng No.1” slurry balance shield machine with a constant-pressure cutterhead, direct-discharge screw conveyor, and precision screening system—developed by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group under China Railway Hi-Tech Industry of China Railway Group Limited —rolled off the production line in Zhengzhou. It will soon be used for the construction of the section between Garden Expo West Gate Station and Tiyuchang Nanjie Station on the Beijing Metro Line 1 extension.
The Beijing Metro Line 1 extension is a branch line extending southwest from the existing Line 1, with a total length of 21 kilometers. It starts from Bajiao Amusement Park Station and ends at Qinglonghudong Station in Fengtai District, connecting key functional zones such as the Zhongguancun Fengtai Park West District I & II and the New Shougang High-end Integrated Industrial Service Area. Several sections of the extension run beneath surface water bodies. The tunnel section between Yuanboyuan West Gate and Tiyuchang South Street, approximately 2.5 kilometers long, passes under the Yongding River—marking the first subway line in Beijing’s history to tunnel beneath the Yongding River.
The “CREC Gongcheng No.1” has an excavation diameter of 11.94 meters and a total length of 170 meters. It is equipped with an innovative muck-handling system featuring a five-main-beam, large-opening-rate constant-pressure composite cutterhead, a large dual-stage belt screw conveyor, a twin-parallel high-efficiency roller screening and rock collection device, and a mechanized transfer system. This enables continuous tunneling, precise muck screening, and mechanical transfer of boulders, providing a new technical solution to the challenges of shield tunneling in water-rich, large-boulder strata.
The Beijing Metro Line 1 extension project is an important supplementary and densifying line in the third phase of Beijing’s rail transit construction plan. Upon completion, it will enhance the connectivity of the city’s rail network, bridge the transport divide between the western and eastern parts of Fengtai District, ease traffic congestion in the southwest, and play a significant role in implementing Beijing’s master urban plan, supporting the relocation of non-capital functions, and driving regional development.
