Deep beneath central China’s rugged terrain, an engineering marvel unfolds: Jianghan Ping’an Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). On January 5, this colossal machine, as tall as a 60-story building, started operations, a major milestone for what is perhaps the most ambitious water infrastructure project ever undertaken on a global scale.
While not the largest in diameter or the fastest, the Jianghan Ping’an TBM is China’s largest dual-shield hard rock TBM, measuring 590 feet (180 m) and weighing 7.8 million pounds (3.54 million kg). The dual shield design allows it to excavate and install tunnel segments at the same time, maintaining a steady pace of 853 feet (260 m) per month in difficult rock conditions. While not record-breaking, this efficiency is a game changer for large-scale tunneling projects.

The TBM’s task is to build a 10.3-mile (16.6 km) stretch of the 121-mile (194.7 km) Yangtze-to-Hanjiang Water Diversion Project. This is part of a larger South to North Water Diversion initiative aimed at addressing water scarcity in northern China. Water from the Yangtze River, the third longest river in the world and sixth largest by discharge, will be used to supply the arid northern regions to support agriculture and urban populations.
The project involves diverting water from the Yangtze’s Three Gorges area to the Hanjiang River. This redistribution promises to relieve drought-stricken areas, but it has environmental and economic challenges. Chinese officials have carefully worked out how to minimize risks, balancing the ecological impacts with the need for water resources.
The tunnel is expected to be completed by 2030 and is overseen by the China Railway Third Bureau. This groundbreaking project is a testament to China’s dedication to innovative engineering solutions to address critical resource challenges as this project progresses.