China has built a drilling machine the size of a 5-story building that weighs 4,000 tons and is digging a 14-kilometer tunnel 89 meters deep under the Yangtze River for high-speed trains to travel at 350 km per hour underwater, and it has already set a world record by excavating 11 km nonstop.

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 14/04/2026 at 16:20

Seja o primeiro a reagir!

The Linghang boring machine is 148 meters long, weighs 4 thousand tons, and is digging 89 meters deep under the Yangtze River a 14 km tunnel for the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway, having broken the world record by completing 11.18 km of continuous digging with a diameter of 15 meters.

At 89 meters below the bed of the Yangtze River, a boring machine the size of a five-story building advances meter by meter through rock and sediment to pave the way for high-speed trains that will cross the river without reducing speed. The Linghang is the largest high-speed tunnel boring machine developed by China, measuring 148 meters long and approximately 4 thousand tons in weight, equipped with an intelligent excavation system and high-pressure water sealing designed to operate in extreme conditions. The boring machine is constructing the Chongming-Taicang Tunnel, a 14-kilometer stretch that is part of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway.

The most impressive feat of the boring machine has already occurred. According to CGTN, the Linghang completed 11.18 kilometers of continuous underwater excavation, setting a world record for large-diameter tunnel boring machines of the 15-meter class. The uninterrupted excavation of over 11 kilometers beneath one of the world’s most powerful rivers, facing extreme water pressure and complex geological conditions, demonstrates a level of engineering that few countries can replicate. When the tunnel is completed, high-speed trains will travel at 350 km/h beneath the Yangtze without passengers realizing they are underwater.

The dimensions of the boring machine digging under the Yangtze River

The Linghang boring machine is 148 m and 4 thousand tons. It digs 89 m under the Yangtze River a 14 km tunnel for trains at 350 km/h. Record of 11 km nonstop.

To understand the scale of the project, one must visualize the boring machine in comparison to known references. The 148 meters length of the Linghang is equivalent to almost one and a half football fields, and its 4 thousand tons of weight corresponds to more than 2,600 compact cars stacked.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The smart technology that allows the drilling machine to operate in risk zones

The Linghang drilling machine is 148 m and weighs 4,000 tons. It excavates 89 m under the Yangtze River a 14 km tunnel for trains at 350 km/h. Record of 11 km without stopping.

Excavating under the Yangtze is not just a matter of brute force. The drilling machine features an integrated smart control platform that includes a digital twin of the entire excavation process, reproducing in real-time the soil conditions, water pressure, and the mechanical state of the tunneling machine in a virtual model.

This system allows engineers to anticipate problems before they occur, remotely adjusting operational parameters.

A real-time early warning system complements the digital twin and enables the drilling machine to navigate safely through high-risk zones, such as the main navigation channel of the Yangtze, where surface ship traffic cannot be interrupted, and environmentally sensitive areas where excessive vibrations could harm the river ecosystem.

The challenges include the vast width of the river, geological layers that vary between soft clay and hard rock over short stretches, and the need to maintain millimeter precision in the tunnel alignment over 14 kilometers.

The world record that the drilling machine broke by excavating 11 km without stopping

The milestone of 11.18 kilometers of continuous underwater excavation is a record for large-diameter tunnel boring machines.

The drilling machine completed this section without significant interruptions, maintaining a constant advance rate under extreme pressure, high temperature inside the equipment, and the need for perfect coordination between the cutting head, debris removal systems, and the installation of the tunnel lining rings.

The drilling machine’s record surpasses previous marks set by projects in Europe and Japan, where tunnel boring machines of similar diameter operated under less extreme conditions.

Continuous excavation means that Linghang did not need to stop for scheduled maintenance during the section, something that required redundancy in all critical systems and teams of engineers working in shifts inside the tunnel boring machine itself. The interior of the drilling machine functions like a small mobile factory, with workshops, storage areas, and control stations that allow for uninterrupted operation.

What the tunnel will allow when the drilling machine completes its work

The Chongming-Taicang Tunnel is a key section of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway, one of the most strategic lines in the Chinese railway network.

When completed, the tunnel will allow high-speed trains to cross the Yangtze River at 350 km/h without reducing speed, eliminating a logistical bottleneck that currently forces trains to slow down or use longer alternative routes. For passengers, the 14-kilometer underwater crossing will take less than three minutes.

The project is part of the regional integration strategy of the Yangtze River Delta, connecting Shanghai to the interior of China with speed and transport capacity that highways and bridges cannot replicate. The Linghang drilling machine is not just opening a tunnel.

It is creating infrastructure that will redefine the logistics of a region with over 200 million inhabitants and that accounts for a significant share of China’s GDP.

What impresses you more: the size of the 148-meter drilling machine, the depth of 89 meters under the river, or the record of 11 km excavated without stopping? Do you think Brazil should invest in technology like this for its infrastructure projects? Share in the comments. Large-scale engineering that seems like science fiction always generates debate among those who admire it and those who question the costs.

0 Comentários

Mais recente

Mais antigos Mais votado

Feedbacks

Visualizar todos comentários

China has built a drilling machine the size of a 5-story building that weighs 4,000 tons and is digging a 14-kilometer tunnel 89 meters deep under the Yangtze River for high-speed trains to travel at 350 km per hour underwater, and it has already set a world record by excavating 11 km nonstop.

The dimensions of the boring machine digging under the Yangtze River

The smart technology that allows the drilling machine to operate in risk zones

The world record that the drilling machine broke by excavating 11 km without stopping

What the tunnel will allow when the drilling machine completes its work

Scientists enter a narrow, flooded cave 500 meters deep and find giant dinosaur footprints on the ceiling measuring up to 1.25 meters, preserved in such a rare way that a new type of trace had to be created.

A giant half-ton ring fell in Kenya from space, and more than a year later, scientists still do not know where it came from.

Seen from space, an image taken by an astronaut shows an unlikely oasis in the Saudi Arabian desert, protected by a terrain that slows the advance of sand, surrounded by green circles, remnants of an extinct lake and nearly 10,000 years of preserved history.

In Botswana, a salt flat of up to 16,000 km² that was once an African megalake spends months as an absolute white desert, but during the rainy season it transforms into a shallow sea that reappears from nowhere and can be seen from space in the middle of southern Africa.

Bavarian archaeologists unearthed a medieval skeleton that had an articulated iron hand in place of its left arm, and the discovery reveals that doctors were already creating sophisticated prosthetics over 500 years ago.

Cell phones in schools: learn how a year after the ban, students and teachers are already noticing positive effects and recording improvements in academic performance with increased attention and active participation.

More than 1,500 Chinese workers transformed an entire railway station in just one night and reduced a 7-hour journey to 90 minutes with a high-speed line of 200 km/h.

One of the largest grain importers on the planet wants to be part of the BRICS Grain Exchange to protect itself from external interference and ensure long-term contracts with fairer prices.

South Africa and China reach an agreement that reduces costs in the export of citrus fruits and paves the way for South African fruits to arrive cheaper and of better quality to a market of 1.4 billion consumers.

British engineers cool air until it turns into liquid, store energy for weeks, and create an “invisible battery” capable of sustaining the power grid when the wind stops and the sun disappears.

Autonomous trucks are already traversing highways in the United States, and a study projects that up to 70% of truck drivers may no longer be needed as the profession begins to shift from long-haul to last-mile with fewer hours, lower income, and potential impact on millions of workers.

China has built a drilling machine the size of a 5-story building that weighs 4,000 tons and is digging a 14-kilometer tunnel 89 meters deep under the Yangtze River for high-speed trains to travel at 350 km per hour underwater, and it has already set a world record by excavating 11 km nonstop.

The dimensions of the boring machine digging under the Yangtze River

The smart technology that allows the drilling machine to operate in risk zones

The world record that the drilling machine broke by excavating 11 km without stopping

What the tunnel will allow when the drilling machine completes its work

Scientists enter a narrow, flooded cave 500 meters deep and find giant dinosaur footprints on the ceiling measuring up to 1.25 meters, preserved in such a rare way that a new type of trace had to be created.

A giant half-ton ring fell in Kenya from space, and more than a year later, scientists still do not know where it came from.

Seen from space, an image taken by an astronaut shows an unlikely oasis in the Saudi Arabian desert, protected by a terrain that slows the advance of sand, surrounded by green circles, remnants of an extinct lake and nearly 10,000 years of preserved history.

In Botswana, a salt flat of up to 16,000 km² that was once an African megalake spends months as an absolute white desert, but during the rainy season it transforms into a shallow sea that reappears from nowhere and can be seen from space in the middle of southern Africa.

Bavarian archaeologists unearthed a medieval skeleton that had an articulated iron hand in place of its left arm, and the discovery reveals that doctors were already creating sophisticated prosthetics over 500 years ago.

Cell phones in schools: learn how a year after the ban, students and teachers are already noticing positive effects and recording improvements in academic performance with increased attention and active participation.

More than 1,500 Chinese workers transformed an entire railway station in just one night and reduced a 7-hour journey to 90 minutes with a high-speed line of 200 km/h.

Autonomous trucks are already traversing highways in the United States, and a study projects that up to 70% of truck drivers may no longer be needed as the profession begins to shift from long-haul to last-mile with fewer hours, lower income, and potential impact on millions of workers.

São Paulo surprises the world with flying cars featuring 8 electric propellers, a range of 100 km, and capacity for 4 passengers after their first flight; the project includes vertiports, strategic urban routes, and integration with airports.

China makes an impressive leap with a new 2D semiconductor technique that breaks silicon barriers, potentially creating more powerful, cheaper chips capable of rapidly transforming global technology.

The USA panicked over the MiG-25 and created the F-15, but the shock came in Israel in 1983, when an Eagle lost a wing, engaged afterburner, and landed at 480 km/h in the Negev desert without crashing.

One of the largest grain importers on the planet wants to be part of the BRICS Grain Exchange to protect itself from external interference and ensure long-term contracts with fairer prices.

South Africa and China reach an agreement that reduces costs in the export of citrus fruits and paves the way for South African fruits to arrive cheaper and of better quality to a market of 1.4 billion consumers.

British engineers cool air until it turns into liquid, store energy for weeks, and create an “invisible battery” capable of sustaining the power grid when the wind stops and the sun disappears.

Autonomous trucks are already traversing highways in the United States, and a study projects that up to 70% of truck drivers may no longer be needed as the profession begins to shift from long-haul to last-mile with fewer hours, lower income, and potential impact on millions of workers.