In the early hours of October 8, the East Guangdong Intercity Railway celebrated a crucial milestone with the successful pouring of the final concrete pile at the Sangu Mountain Elevated Station. This station, built by China Railway Construction Group, is the first elevated station in the Jieyang section to complete its pile foundation work, paving the way for subsequent construction.
The East Guangdong Intercity Railway features an innovative “ring and radial” design and serves as a vital segment of the intercity railway network approved by the National Development and Reform Commission. It connects the central urban areas of Shantou, Jieyang, and Chaozhou, along with major transportation hubs such as Chaoshan Airport and high-speed train stations in Shantou, Chaozhou, and Jieyang. The entire project stretches approximately 140.5 kilometers with a designed speed of 160 kilometers per hour. The segment managed by China Railway Construction includes nine elevated stations—Didu Station, Jinfeng Peninsula Station, Laicuo Station, among others—alongside one ground station and the necessary supporting facilities in Jieyang and Shantou.
In an interview, Ban Zhengfa, head of the project engineering department at China Railway Construction Group, discussed the challenges faced during the construction of Sangu Mountain Station. He noted that the geological conditions were complex, characterized by poor soil layers made up of mud and silty clay in a plastic state, complicating the drilling process. This situation heightened the risk of issues like wall collapses, irregular boreholes, and pile misalignment. Additionally, the substantial volume of mud slurry created during foundation work presented further challenges, particularly during rain, which led to overflowing ditches and muddy site conditions.
To address these hurdles, the East Guangdong Intercity Railway project team proactively organized specialized technical meetings to carefully plan machinery deployment, workforce assignments, and quality control measures. They tackled geological issues by using long casing pipes to penetrate the mud layers, which enabled a better understanding of the geological conditions and allowed them to adjust slurry density for adequate wall support. Continuous monitoring and timely adjustments were made whenever anomalies were detected during the piling process. To manage the slurry discharge problem, the team established a ready-made slurry pit on-site and kept a close eye on weather forecasts to efficiently handle mud removal ahead of heavy rainfall. They also ensured that construction debris was swiftly cleared to maintain cleanliness on the site.
Looking ahead, Guangdong Province is focused on establishing a multi-modal, integrated, and resource-efficient railway hub in East Guangdong, significantly improving the quality and efficiency of railway transport in the region. Once completed, this project will create a 30-minute commuting zone connecting Shantou, Chaozhou, and Jieyang, thereby promoting coordinated regional development and facilitating deeper integration among these urban areas. Furthermore, it will play a crucial role in enhancing connectivity with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the western coast of the Taiwan Strait economic zone, and the eastern regions of China.
