China Daily (Hong Kong)

Rail design keeps wildlife safe

- In Xi’an

and Design Institute Group, who is in charge of the railway’s environmen­tal design.

At less than 1,500 meters above sea level, tunnels and bridges pass through the mountain range, according to the group.

More than 90 percent of the railway through the Qinling Mountains is tunnels and bridges, said Liu Shuangjin, general chief designer of the line’s Shaanxi section from the China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group.

“The merit of tunnels is to reduce vibration when a train passes by,” Lai said.

The average depth of the tunnels is 400 meters, and the deepest is 1,000 meters.

“Urban subways cause vibration in a radius of 20 to 30 meters. At 400 meters deep, it would be rare to sense vibration,” Lai said.

Bridges are constructe­d to link tunnels. Protective shields have been placed at the mouths of tunnels in the Qinling Mountains to keep wild animals from falling. During constructi­on, the company avoided setting up temporary facilities in wildlife habitats.

Dirt excavated from building tunnels and bridges was removed regularly and constructi­on crews used lownoise equipment to avoid disturbing wildlife.

During operation, trains are forbidden from using horns in wildlife habitats.

The line also passes through the Yangxian county reserve, home to crested ibis, a rare bird.

“Only one kilometer of the high-speed rail traverses the reserve for the crested ibis. But 33 kilometers of protective nets have been built to minimize its influence on the vicinity,” Lai said.

The 4-meter-high mesh on the sides of bridges higher than 10 meters will prevent the birds from flying into the path of trains, which is safer for the birds and the trains.

When it comes to children, nothing is trivial.”

 ?? LYU JIA / FOR CHINA DAILY ?? A passenger poses for a photo with a performer in a panda costume at Chengdu East Railway Station in Sichuan province on Wednesday. The Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway opened on Wednesday.
LYU JIA / FOR CHINA DAILY A passenger poses for a photo with a performer in a panda costume at Chengdu East Railway Station in Sichuan province on Wednesday. The Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway opened on Wednesday.

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