How long is the Humaling Tunnel?

The 173-meter Humaling Tunnel on the Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway took 6 years to open. There is a reason why it took so long. Let me tell you in detail:

September 2008 In August, the Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway project officially started construction. After completion, it will connect Gansu and Chongqing, with a total distance of 800KM, passing through 22 counties and cities in Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Chongqing.

Although the distance is not long, the difficulty of construction cannot be underestimated, because many mountains and rivers must be crossed along the way, so there are as many as 200 tunnels and 300 bridges. It is not particularly difficult to dig a tunnel under normal conditions, but if you want to dig a tunnel in a "water-rich, silty and fine sand" formation, that is a different story. Digging a tunnel under such geological conditions is like drilling a hole in tofu. If you are not careful, the entire section may collapse. The most typical example of "piercing a hole in the brain" is the Humaling Tunnel in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, which can be said to be a veritable "Gate of Hell".

The finely divided rock mass is like powder. Without exquisite skills, let alone tunneling, there is a risk of collapse even if a stone is removed from it.

This 173-meter "Ghost Viewing Sorrow" mountain did pose a difficulty for us. Because the soil was too loose, we didn't dare to shovel vigorously. Even the top foreign "experts" were at a loss. The most annoying thing is that they just stood by and watched, but started to gloat about our misfortune. Those "experts" just wanted to see our jokes.

At this moment, expert Xia Li came to the construction site. He and his father Fu Xiahua were appointed to serve as the chief engineer and surveyor of the Humaling Tunnel. They took over the No. 1 Inclined Shaft and the No. 2 Inclined Shaft, which were the most difficult to construct. The two shafts were 173 meters apart and very difficult to get through. The construction workers were helpless and shook their heads.

But Xia Li had the determination not to admit defeat. He faced the difficulties and vowed to get through the last section.

Xia Li thought deeply and finally created an unprecedented technology called "Nine-Gongge Operation Method", which perfectly solved this world problem. The so-called "Nine-Gongge Operation Method" is to break a large working surface into parts, separate 9 small working surfaces, and excavate at the same time. While ensuring the stability of the rock formation, the excavation tasks of each working surface are carefully completed. .

Hard work pays off. In June 2017, after six years of hard work and hard work day and night, the last section of the Humaling Tunnel was opened. Three months later, the Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway was fully completed, and trains roared through the Humaling Tunnel, which was once known as the "Ghost Pass".

And one person's name will always be recorded in history, that is the expert "Xia Li".

Everyone cheered and admired Expert Xia Li very much. The news quickly spread abroad. Those "experts" who had been arrogant and wanted to see our jokes were dumbfounded, surprised, and at the same time ashamed and ashamed. This time they were slapped hard in the face again.

The completion of the Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway embodies the hard work and sweat of our construction workers, and also engraves the wisdom and courage of the experts, demonstrating the craftsman spirit of a great country. At the same time, it also makes Chinese builders known as "infrastructure maniacs" once again famous abroad and go to the world. Give them praise!