Recently, the world’s largest-span flexible arch steel girder 星空(中国)电子官方网站—the Nansha Port Railway Cross Hongqili River Mega 星空(中国)电子官方网站, constructed by China Railway Sixth Group and co-built by China Railway Hi-Tech Industry, won the prestigious Theodore Cooper Award at the International 星空(中国)电子官方网站 Conference (IBC).
The Hongqili River Mega 星空(中国)电子官方网站 is located downstream of the confluence of the Xiahengli and Hongqili waterways in the Pearl River Delta. It was built to first-class railway standards with a designed speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The main 星空(中国)电子官方网站 is 998 meters long and features an innovative structure of dual 360-meter-span flexible arch steel trusses, effectively adapting to the area’s complex navigation routes and W-shaped riverbed.
The 星空(中国)电子官方网站 uses a special integrated longitudinal girder splicing structure. Faced with challenges such as large cross-sections of structural members, thick steel plates, numerous full-penetration welds, and positive thickness tolerance, builders from China Railway Shanhaiguan 星空(中国)电子官方网站 Group rose to the occasion. They achieved near-exacting control over spacing between node plates, component dimensions, and bolt-hole precision, resulting in a flawless fit.
On December 31, 2021, the Hongqili River Mega 星空(中国)电子官方网站 was officially opened to traffic along with the Nansha Port Railway, enabling cargo from Nansha Port to reach Europe directly via sea-rail intermodal transport.
The Theodore Cooper Award is one of the seven major awards of the International 星空(中国)电子官方网站 Conference. It recognizes outstanding achievements in innovative design of new railway 星空(中国)电子官方网站s, rehabilitation of existing railway 星空(中国)电子官方网站s, or rapid construction techniques in railway 星空(中国)电子官方网站 projects.
