Recently, the tunnel between Vakdano East and PC9 on the Santiago Metro Line 7 project in Chile was successfully broken through. The section spans 671.5 meters, and this breakthrough marks another significant milestone in the underground main structure construction of the project, laying a solid foundation for subsequent structural works and the full-line connection.
Recently, the tunnel between Baquedano East and PC9 on the Santiago Metro Line 7 project in Chile was successfully holed through. The section is 671.5 meters long, and this breakthrough marks another important milestone in the construction of the project's underground main structures, laying a solid foundation for subsequent structural works and the full-line connection.
The Baquedano East–PC9 section is located in the core area of downtown Santiago, with complex construction conditions and a high risk level. The tunnel alignment undercrosses existing municipal roads and runs close to the Mapocho River, where abundant groundwater and locally unstable surrounding rock impose extremely high requirements on surface settlement control and tunneling accuracy. In addition, Baquedano Station connected by this section is a key transport hub of Santiago Metro Line 7. Upon completion, it will become the first station in the history of the Santiago Metro to enable three-line interchange among Line 1, Line 5, and Line 7, playing a significant role in improving the urban rail transit network, enhancing public transport service capacity, and promoting sustainable urban development.
During construction, the project team not only had to overcome the challenges posed by complex geological conditions, but also cope with the organizational pressures of the central urban area. As an important urban landmark and public activity center in Santiago, Baquedano Square frequently hosts large-scale public events and gatherings, bringing considerable difficulties to construction organization, traffic diversion, material transport, and muck removal. In the face of multiple challenges, the project team always adhered to the principle of "safety first, quality foremost," continuously optimized construction schemes, dynamically adjusted resource allocation, and strengthened communication and coordination with the owner, the supervision unit, local government, and traffic management authorities, ensuring that safety, quality, and schedule remained fully under control throughout the entire process. Ultimately, the section tunnel was completed with a safe and high-quality breakthrough, fully demonstrating Chinese enterprises' capabilities in construction organization, technological innovation, and refined management in complex urban underground engineering.
As one of the largest urban rail transit infrastructure projects in Chile in recent years, Santiago Metro Line 7 will further improve the urban rail transit network upon completion, effectively relieve traffic pressure in the central urban area, significantly enhance public transport capacity, and inject new momentum into the economic and social development of the areas along the line.