Photo taken on Dec. 27, 2019 shows the Ban Sen No. 2 Tunnel, south to the ancient Lao capital of Luang Prabang, some 170 km north of capital Vientiane. China-Laos railway tunnels' construction has made a decisive breakthrough, with its longest tunnel drilled through on Friday morning in the tropical mountains of northern Laos. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)
VIENTIANE, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China-Laos railway tunnels' construction has made a decisive breakthrough, with its longest tunnel drilled through on Friday morning in the tropical mountains of northern Laos.
Seven months ahead of the planned timetable, the Chinese engineering company, PowerChina Sinohydro Bureau 3 Co., LTD (Sinohydro 3) and Sinohydro 14, on Friday bored the 9384-meter-long Ban Sen No.2 Tunnel, south to the ancient Lao capital of Luang Prabang, some 170 km north of capital Vientiane.
This marks an important milestone in the construction of the China-Laos railway, as the engineering work enters the ending-up phase, and the railing work and construction of the railway stations are soon to be kicked off.
The Ban Sen No. 2 Tunnel crosses the provincial border of Luang Prabang and Vientiane in the tropical mountains, with steep terrain, complex geology, abundant groundwater, and difficult construction and transportation conditions.
The China-Laos railway has holed through around 50 tunnels so far out of its 76 tunnels with a total length of 198 km.
