On February 25, the Ankang Tunnel, a key and difficult project of the Xikang High-speed Railway, was successfully completed. This is the 14th tunnel that runs through the entire Xikang High-speed Railway, and it is also the only six-level surrounding rock tunnel in the country that continuously crosses the Qinling Mountains 800 meters.

The completion of this tunnel marks a major phased result in the construction of the Xikang High-speed Railway. Up to now, various projects such as tunnels, bridges, roadbeds, station buildings, rails, etc. of the Xikang High-speed Railway have been fully launched, and the construction progress has been continuously accelerated.

Ankang Tunnel is located in Ankang City, Shaanxi Province. It is located in the middle and low mountain valley area of ​​the South Qinling Mountains. It is a single-hole double-line tunnel. It is a first-class high-risk tunnel and a key and difficult project on the entire Xikang High-speed Railway. The geological structure of the tunnel is extremely complex. The strata are mainly expansive soil, sand pebbles, and weathered thousand rocks. It is located in the water-rich area and the junction of long section soil and rocks. It has high risks such as dangerous rock falling, surrounding rock instability, mud surge in water, and soft rock deformation.

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the construction, the construction unit used 18 minor modifications and reforms during the construction process, carried out 3 scientific research projects, and obtained 2 utility model patents and 13 invention patents, successfully conquered many difficulties in tunnel construction and accumulated valuable experience for the construction of complex geological tunnels in Qinling Mountains.

The Xi'an to Ankang high-speed rail is an important part of the national medium- and long-term railway network planning "eight vertical and eight horizontal" high-speed rail channel and the Beijing-Kunming channel. The total length of the newly built main line is about 171 kilometers and the designed speed is 350 kilometers per hour. The route leads from the southern end of the planned Xi'an East Station, crosses the Wu River, crosses the Qinling Mountains, passes through Zhashui, Zhen'an, and Xunyang, and connects to the planned Ankang West Station. There are six stations along the route: Xi'an East, Taihe, Zhashui West, Zhen'an West, Tongmu and Ankang West.

After the Xi'an-Ankang high-speed rail is completed and opened to traffic, the operating time of the Xi'an-Ankang railway will be shortened from about 3 hours to less than 1 hour, which is of great significance to strengthening the rapid connection between Guanzhong and southern Shaanxi, promoting regional economic development, and enhancing the travel experience of the people. (Reporters of General Station Li Zhi and Zhao Zhenkai)