China unveiled ‘Xianglong’, a hybrid
tunnelling machine
- China unveiled ‘Xianglong’, a hybrid tunnelling machine.
- It was unveiled in Wuhan on 2 August 2026.
- The machine has a diameter of 4.5 metres.
- It was jointly developed by Tsinghua University and a subsidiary of China Railway Group.
- Xianglong combines mechanical excavation with drilling and controlled blasting.
- It is designed specifically for extremely hard rock formations.
- Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) are mechanised systems used to excavate circular tunnels
- TBMs are widely used in metro, hydropower, railway and road tunnel projects.
- Conventional TBMs perform best in stable ground conditions
- Drilling and blasting are often preferred for hard rock and fractured geological formations.
- Hybrid tunnelling systems integrate mechanical excavation and controlled blasting.
- Xianglong is designed to operate in complex geological conditions where conventional mechanical cutting has limitations.
- The machine is expected to improve hard-rock tunnelling efficiency by around 30% compared with traditional methods.
