China unveils Xianglong, world's first tunnel boring-and-blasting machine

China has unveiled Xianglong, a hybrid machine that combines tunnel boring with drilling and blasting. The system aims to speed up hard-rock tunnelling, cut delays and reduce safety risks.China has developed what it says is the world’s first tunnel boring-and-blasting machine, a new type of equipment designed for tunnelling through complex geological conditions. The 4.5-metre-diameter machine, named Xianglong, was jointly developed by Tsinghua University and a unit of state-owned China Railway Group, and rolled off the production line in Wuhan, according to a statement issued by the Hubei provincial government.The hybrid machine combines excavation with built-in drilling and blasting, and is smaller than conventional tunnel boring machines. According to the statement, this is aimed at improving work in extremely hard or fractured rock, where standard tunnel boring machines often slow down and delay major infrastructure projects.The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday, quoting the statement, that the new equipment can raise hard-rock digging efficiency by 30 per cent. At present, engineers use two separate systems — traditional tunnel boring machines and the drill-and-blast method — when dealing with extreme geological conditions.Switching between a tunnel boring machine and the conventional drill-and-blast approach has meant disassembling equipment or moving it out, leading to major project delays and higher safety risks. The statement said the new technology was designed to address this problem and was built entirely with a domestic supply chain. The machine will undergo its first field trial at a pumped-storage power plant under construction in Henan province by a subsidiary of the state-owned Power Construction Corporation of China. According to a March report by state broadcaster CCTV, China, once heavily reliant on imported large-diameter machines, has become the world’s leading boring machine manufacturer. Machines produced in Zhengzhou, a major tunnel boring machine manufacturing hub, have been exported to 36 countries.Official sources have also said China has restricted exports of heavy boring and drilling machines to India, particularly for use in border areas. Last week, Chinese engineers used a large-diameter shield tunnelling machine to drill an underwater tunnel crossing the Yangtze River. State-run Xinhua news agency said the development would allow high-speed trains to run below the river at speeds of up to 350 kmph without slowing down, marking progress in China’s river-crossing railway tunnelling technology. With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 4, 2026 19:42 IST