The "Kunpeng" shield tunneling machine, jointly developed by China Railway 11th Bureau Group and China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Co Ltd, was successfully launched at the construction site for the Shenzhen - Dongguan tunnel west section of Shenzhen - Jiangmen Railway, Guangdong province, on May 30.

This section is a 13-meter-diameter single-hole double-track tunnel at a depth that ranges from 9 to 62 meters.

The Shenzhen - Jiangmen Railway is an important part of China's high-speed railway network along the coast corridor.

The main line is 116 kilometers long, linking five cities including Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Jiangmen in Guangdong province.

It will take less than an hour to get from Shenzhen to Jiangmen, and half an hour from Shenzhen to Nansha Free Trade Zone in Guangzhou upon completion.