On October 18, 2007, the final section of a railway windbreak wall was completed in south Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Finished two days ahead of schedule, the wall is expected to provide an effective shield against wind for trains that run between Zhenzhuquan and Hongshanqu. The China Railway 15th Construction Bureau is in charge of the project. Tianshan.net.cn reported from Xinjiang.
The newly built windbreak wall extends a total length of 8,230 meters. A forty-meter section was built with state-of-the-art technology that had never been used in China before. This section of the windbreak wall is expected to provide safety shelter for both the railway and the highway.
The windbreak wall was constructed under extremely difficult conditions. After the project began on August 20, the work team encountered winds on 18 days out of the total 58. Over half of the work period the surface temperature on the construction site remained above 40 degrees centigrade.
Because of the busy traffic between Zhenzhuquan and Hongshanqu, train service was not halted during construction. The construction team worked out a series of precautionary measures to ensure the workers' safety. Furthermore, when construction took place along the highway, the project team managers kept in close contact with local traffic authorities in charge of the temporary traffic control near the construction site. Previously, optical cables had been laid underground along the railway. To build this windbreak wall, the project team worked together with relevant departments and relocated the cables off site.
The windbreak wall is of great significance toward the safe operation of the railway in south Xinjiang. The project team accepted a tight timetable in order to complete the wall as early as possible. Headed by energetic and experienced engineers, they worked day and night and managed to build up the high quality wall two days ahead of schedule.
Trains running between Zhenzhuquan and Hongshanqu are constantly struck by hurricane-force winds combined with sand and stones. After the entire windbreak wall has been constructed passengers will enjoy a safer and more comfortable trip in south Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
(China.org.cn by Chen Xia, October 25, 2007)
