Chinese-made tunnel-boring machine to be exported to Italy

NANJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- An independently developed tunnel-boring machine has recently rolled off the production line in the city of Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, and is ready for export to Italy to facilitate a local railway project.

It signifies the first such machine produced by China Railway's production base in Wuxi for export to Italy.

Located in Wuxi's Xishan District, the colossal equipment boasts a digging diameter of 9.48 meters, towers approximately three floors high, has a total length of about 251 meters, and weighs 2,300 tonnes.

According to Gao Siyuan, a staff member at the production base, transporting the tunnel-boring machine overseas entails over a month-long process of dismantling it into hundreds of thousands of components, which will then be shipped from Shanghai to Italy's Sicily island via sea freight.

"This also marks the first tunnel-boring machine produced at the Wuxi base to be exported to the European Union countries," Gao said, adding that the equipment is customized specifically for an Italian railway project, as it is equipped with a suite of cutting-edge technologies that significantly enhance efficiency, lifespan, and construction safety.

For instance, despite being outfitted with thousands of sets of electrical components, the tunnel-boring machine relies on explosion-proof technology, ensuring it poses no risk of explosion even when encountering flammable gases during excavation.

The tunnel-boring machine is earmarked for deployment in the construction of Sicily's Palermo-Catania Railway Line Project Lot 3. This is an essential part of the railway line linking the cities of Palermo and Catania in Italy, supported by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan of Italy to promote sustainable transportation.

Upon completion, the Italian project will bolster connectivity within and outside Sicily, enhance passenger and freight train capacity, ensure smooth train operations, and offer significant benefits to local economic development.

China Railway currently operates in more than 90 countries and regions globally. Boring machines developed by the company have been exported to more than 30 countries and regions, such as Italy, France, and Singapore. They are widely used in overseas railway, highway, subway, mining, and other construction fields.