On August 10, Hefei Metro Group announced that the full‑line track‑laying works for the Xinqiao Airport S1 Line have successfully achieved continuous long‑welded rail installation. This key milestone provides a solid foundation for on‑track commissioning of S1 trains.

The S1 line’s mainline track is approximately 36 km long, with a total laid track length of about 75.8 km. Facing a tight schedule and heavy workload, the project adopted continuous welding technology and a track‑panel installation method — prefabricating 25‑meter steel rails into track panels at the track yard and laying them as complete units. To meet the 120 km/h design speed, higher requirements for track smoothness were imposed, requiring high‑precision surveying and fine adjustments.

In addition, Hefei Metro proactively implemented a smart cloud track running area safety management information system to enable visualized monitoring and dispatching throughout the construction process. This has effectively reduced dispatching difficulty and vehicle operation risks while improving safety management and dispatch capabilities, and has completed the full‑line track connection on schedule, setting records such as laying more than 800 meters of short rail per day for several consecutive days, and welding more than 1,500 meters of long rail in a single day.

As of now, the Hefei section of the Xinqiao Airport S1 Line has topped out the main structures of 11 stations (9 underground and 2 elevated), and all 18 TBM‑bored tunnel sections have been fully connected. Station fit‑out works and system equipment installation and commissioning are proceeding concurrently.

Source: anhuinews.com