Cat® tunnel boring machines impress Chinese customers

The project owner, Beijing MTR Corporation, and the contractor, Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) held a celebration ceremony at the construction site, and they invited a Caterpillar team led by Debra Duzinskas, Caterpillar Growth Market Strategy Integration Director, and managers from Caterpillar Tunneling Canada Corporation. China’s official CCTV and other key general and trade media provided wide coverage of this event. 

 

This section of subway is part of the Beijing Metro Line 9 and consists of two parallel tunnels stretching 1.2 km each (.75 miles) that pass underneath a lake. It was one of the most difficult sections due to the amount of large rocks that are rarely seen in other subway projects in China or anywhere else in the world. 

 

Caterpillar Tunneling Canada beat competitors by providing a powerful tunnel boring machine specifically designed to handle tough geological conditions, and the machine performed so well that it set a new benchmark for China's metro construction industry. BUCG leaders have expressed strong desire to leverage the success of this project to develop a longer-term strategic relationship with Caterpillar.

 

“We are proud to once again conquer tough jobs with complex ground conditions and join BUCG together with Beijing MTR Corporation in celebration of this successful breakthrough. The customer’s selection of the name Diamond for this 6.28-meter TBM is a testament to Caterpillar Tunneling’s unique cutting head and ripper teeth design,” said Klaus Ukens, Vice President of Caterpillar Tunneling Canada. “We continue to innovate with the incorporation of Cat Tough Steel™ in our cutting tools to further improve customer productivity and uptime.”

 

In addition to the entire Beijing Metro Line 9, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2012, Cat tunnel boring machines have also delivered outstanding performances in similar metro projects in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chongqing in southern China.