World's Biggest, Deepest Rail Station Being Built at Great Wall
By Justine Lopez
The Badaling section of the Great Wall will soon be home to the world’s deepest and biggest underground high-speed railway station.
The station will be located 102 meters underground at Badaling, which is the most popular part of the Great Wall. The new railway station will be three stories and span 36,000 square meters. In addition, the Badaling Tunnel will be 12km long.
Safety measures are being taken and a series of emergency exits are being installed in the station. The station will also be able to withstand a magnitude 8.0 earthquake. The location of the station – hidden in the hillside – was strategically chosen so it will not impede views of the Great Wall.
However, construction of the tunnel has proved difficult for workers. An estimated 4,500 controlled explosions have been used by engineers to dig the tunnel. The initial plan was for workers to excavate the tunnel at a rate of six meters per day. However, due to the difficult terrain they have only been able to dig roughly two meters per day.
Despite the challenges, the station and tunnel are expected to be completed in 2019.
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