The TBM that will build the northern section of China’s Macao Light Rail Eastern Line was launched on May 7.
TBM Haojiang Pioneer, built by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation Ltd (CRCHI), will excavate the 2.74km northern section from Zone A of the Macao Peninsula to the Portas do Cerco (Guanzha Port).
The TBM is 87m long, weighs 690 tons, and has a cutterhead diameter of 7.28m.
The shield tunnel section of the project is about 2.077km long and is fully underground. Shield construction was specified because the challenges of a densely populated urban area, the narrow construction site, and the complex hydro-geological conditions will require multiple TBM launching and receiving operations. CRCHI says this requires precision control of shield machine construction, formation adaptability, and the ability to deal with overlapping risks.
TBM Haojiang Pioneer is equipped with intelligent monitoring and high-precision deviation correction. It can analyse changes in the soil layer structure in front of the cutterhead in real time, adjust the rotation speed and thrust of the cutterhead, improving the construction efficiency and reducing the settlement risk.
The TBM also has advanced systems such as a visualisation camera in the soil bin and an automatic spraying system. This improves the efficiency of multi-party linkage during the tunnelling process and minimises the impact on the surrounding environment.
Once completed, the light rail system will improve the connection between the Portas do Cerco and the Taipa Ferry Terminal. This will relieve passenger flow pressure at the Portas do Cerco and reduce urban traffic congestion.
