China News Service, Urumqi, July 21 (Chen Jianfei and Lei Hao) At 11 o'clock on July 21, No. 3 Mangya at the junction of the Xinjiang section and Qinghai section of the Geku Railway from Golmud, Qinghai Province to Korla, Xinjiang (hereinafter referred to as the Geku Railway) On the bridge, with an order, a large track laying machine laid the last track row of the Xinjiang section of the Ge-Ku Railway in place, successfully docking with the Qinghai section of the Ge-Ku Railway. This marks the completion of the whole track laying of the Ge-Ku Railway.
The Ge-Ku Railway starts from Golmud City, Qinghai Province in the east. The railway line runs through the Qaidam Basin all the way to the west. After entering Xinjiang, it passes through the Altun Mountains. The Fourth Regiment, the 31st Regiment, and Yuli County, reaching the end point in Korla, Xinjiang, are about 1,200 kilometers long. Among them, the Xinjiang section is more than 700 kilometers, and the Qinghai section is more than 500 kilometers. The construction standard is National Railway Class I electrified single-track railway with a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
On July 21, on the Mangya No. 3 Bridge at the junction of the Xinjiang section of the Ge-Ku Railway and the Qinghai section, the bridge erecting machine was placing the last track row of the Xinjiang section on the roadbed and docking with the Qinghai section of the Ge-Ku Railway. Photo by Chen Jianfei
The Ge-Ku Railway is a national key railway construction project and the third major railway passage out of Xinjiang in Xinjiang. The Qinghai section of the Gekko Railway started construction on December 15, 2014. Participants overcame many difficulties along the line, such as arid climate, heavy wind and sand, strong ultraviolet rays, and difficult construction in the marsh area. The Qinghai section was officially opened for operation on June 30, 2020. After the Qinghai section of the Gekko Railway is opened for operation, it is planned to operate one pair of passenger trains and two pairs of cargo trains.
Construction of the Xinjiang section of the Gekko Railway started in early 2016. During the construction of the Xinjiang section, the construction staff opened the 13195-meter-long Altun Mountain super-long tunnel; built the longest railway bridge in Xinjiang, the Taitma Lake Bridge, which is more than 24 kilometers long, allowing the railway line to pass through the Taklimakan Desert And the original Populus euphratica forest area. There are a total of 20 newly built stations on the Xinjiang section of the Ge-Ku Railway, including 8 passenger stations, 12 freight stations and transfer stations.
On July 21, on the Mangya No. 3 Bridge at the junction of the Xinjiang section of the Ge-Ku Railway and the Qinghai section, the bridge erecting machine was placing the last track row of the Xinjiang section on the roadbed and docking with the Qinghai section of the Ge-Ku Railway. Photo by Chen Jianfei
The largest station among the newly built railway stations is Ruoqiang Station, followed by Yuli Station. The highest station is Altun Mountain Station, which is about 3,200 meters above sea level. At present, the main works of the seven passenger stations have been completed, and the station building decoration and the construction of auxiliary facilities such as signals are in progress.
The Geku Railway Project Department of China Railway First Bureau Group Co., Ltd. undertakes the task of laying and erecting more than 700 kilometers of railway in Xinjiang. According to Huang Kejun, project manager, the Xinjiang section of the Gekko Railway started track laying on June 3, 2017, and it took 38 months to complete the track laying. The railway line passes through the Tarim River, the Taklimakan Desert, the Xinjiang Lop Nur Wild Camel National Wildlife Nature Reserve, and the Altun Mountain uninhabited area. The natural environment along the line is harsh, the climate is arid and dusty, the temperature difference between day and night is large, some road sections are cold and lack of oxygen, the amount of paving works is large, the construction period is long, the line transportation distance is long, the transportation organization is difficult, and the construction is difficult.
The construction personnel of the Geku Railway Project Department of China Railway First Bureau Group Co., Ltd. have overcome many difficulties. This year, due to the delay in laying and laying due to the epidemic, the project department organized employees to return to work and resume work by means of "point-to-point" chartered flights. The resumption of work was only 4 months In time, the track laying task of over 73 kilometers of long ramps, bridges and tunnels connected, and 254 holes of beams was completed. At the same time, it created a track laying speed record of 1.7 kilometers on the plateau of the bridge machine.
It is reported that the entire Gekku railway line will be opened for operation in 2020, when Golmud to Korla will be shortened from the original 26 hours to 12 hours. (Finish)