The Yangtze-to-Hanjiang Water Diversion Project — the first construction launch under the follow-up phase of the South-to-North Water Diversion Program — continues to report strong progress. Deep underground, the "Jianghan Pioneer" TBM, designed and built by CREG, achieved a monthly advance of 490 meters in October, ranking first among all nine TBMs on the project and setting a new single-month record since its launch. Operating under extreme conditions combining extremely hard rock, intense rock burst, and fault-related collapse, CREG's TBM fleet has maintained steady forward progress, continuously advancing construction milestones. As the project's core equipment supplier, CREG has custom-engineered six TBMs — five of which have been delivered and launched, with a combined total boring distance exceeding 20 kilometers.
"Jianghan Navigator" — Gripper TBM
Deployed on Civil Engineering Lot 1, this TBM features an excavation diameter of 11.93 m and is responsible for boring 18.35 km of water conveyance tunnel. Its single-head drive distance is the longest among large-diameter TBMs in China. Since its launch in August 2025, it has reached a peak monthly advance of 473 m, holding both the daily and monthly advance records for Gripper TBMs across the entire section. To date, this TBM has bored over 4,500 m.
"Jianghan Shennong" — Double-Shield TBM
Deployed on Civil Engineering Lot 2, this TBM features an excavation diameter of 11.93 m and is responsible for boring 11.55 km of water conveyance tunnel. Since its launch in September 2026, it has achieved a peak monthly advance of 273 m.
"Jianghan Ping'an" — Double-Shield TBM
Also deployed on Civil Engineering Lot 2, this TBM features an excavation diameter of 11.93 m and is responsible for boring 16.3 km of water conveyance tunnel. Since its launch in January 2025, it has reached a peak monthly advance of 454 m. On November 8 of the same year, it completed the 3,887 m adit No. 6, precisely breaking through to the main tunnel face. To date, this TBM has bored over 6,500 m.
"Jianghan Pioneer" — SingleShield TBM
Deployed on Civil Engineering Lot 4, this TBM features an excavation diameter of 12.23 m — the first hard rock TBM delivered for the project. It is responsible for boring 13.6 km of water conveyance tunnel. Since its launch in December 2024, it has reached a peak monthly advance of 490 m. To date, this TBM has bored over 3,500 m.
"Jianghan Trailblazer" — SingleShield TBM
Deployed on Civil Engineering Lot 6, this TBM features an excavation diameter of 12.23 m and is responsible for boring 12.17 km of water conveyance tunnel, including traversing the project's largest cross-section and longest soft-rock deformation section. Since its launch in December 2024, it has reached a peak monthly advance of 567 m — the highest monthly advance on the entire project. In June 2025, it became the first machine on the project to enter main tunnel construction. To date, this TBM has bored over 6,200 m.
Upon completion, the project will establish a direct connection between the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the Three Gorges Project, linking the Yangtze River basin, the Hanjiang River basin, and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to form a new water network pattern. It will provide more reliable water resources for the Hanjiang River basin and North China, and holds profound significance for China's optimization of water resource allocation, national water security, and coordinated regional development.
