Weifang-Suqian High-Speed Railway Hits Major Milestone with First Continuous Girder Concreting

The Weifang-Suqian High-Speed Railway has marked a significant breakthrough with the successful concreting of the first continuous girder on the Weifang-Weihai Downlink Connecting Line Bridge.

The (32+48+32)-meter cast-in-place continuous girder, located at Hetan Township in Hanting District, Weifang, was constructed by China Railway No.4 Engineering Group under the development of Xiong'an High-Speed Railway Co., Ltd. The girder spans across the X004 county road, in a construction zone characterised by complex site conditions and limited working space. The concreting of this girder represents the first of five continuous girders on the bridge to be completed.

The Weifang-Suqian High-Speed Railway connects Weifang City in Shandong Province with Suqian City in Jiangsu Province. As part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway auxiliary corridor, the line runs 392.3 kilometres and is designed for speeds of 350 kilometres per hour. The project broke ground in late December 2023 and is scheduled for completion by the end of June 2028. Upon completion, the railway will significantly improve the regional network layout across Shandong and northern Jiangsu, bringing substantial travel convenience to residents in the Yimeng Mountain area and the old revolutionary base areas of northern Jiangsu. The line is also expected to facilitate the integrated development of the Yellow River Basin's ecological conservation and high-quality growth.

The economic implications of the project are particularly notable for the agricultural heartlands along its trajectory. The railway is set to substantially enhance the distribution efficiency of agricultural products from key counties including Anqiu, Zhucheng and Lanling. These changes are intended to accelerate the integration of local geographical indication products into the highly efficient markets of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta. 

Furthermore, the improved transport capacity is anticipated to inject new momentum into the upstream circulation of fresh produce and processed agricultural goods, thereby supporting agricultural efficiency and increasing rural incomes.

The construction of the recently concreting girder posed notable technical challenges and demanded rigorous safety standards. To ensure the uninterrupted operation of the X004 county road below, the project management developed a dedicated implementation plan utilising a cast-in-place support method. 

The approach involved a rational breakdown of construction phases, dynamic resource allocation, enhanced on-site inspections and elevated safety protection levels. 

The implementation of a night-time leadership duty system and on-site supervision was accompanied by an innovative combined support system integrating a socket-and-spigot disc-buckle scaffold with a steel pipe column and steel I-beam portal frame. This configuration maintained traffic flow on the county road while preserving structural integrity and schedule adherence.

The successful concreting of this continuous girder has established a solid foundation for the subsequent construction of additional continuous girders and the eventual completion of the full line. This milestone also signifies a pivotal step towards achieving full interconnectivity for the Weifang-Suqian High-Speed Railway, reinforcing its critical role in the national high-speed rail network.