Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Princess Wencheng has begun her tunnelling effort on Hong Kong’s Shatin to Central Link.
The TBM was launched from the To Kwa Wan Station site shaft to begin a 1.6-kilometre drive to Ho Man Tin Station – the Kowloon City Section of the project.
A second TBM, Princess Iron Fan, is set to begin her drive later this year.
Princess Wencheng is named after the princess who connected the Tang Dynasty through marriage with Tibet. MTR has said the name is a symbol of “a bridge between Shatin and Central that links up different districts through a comprehensive railway network”.
Consisting of two sections, Tai Wai to Hung Hom and Hung Hom to Admiralty, the 17 km rail network will help to relieve pressure on the existing railway system and ease road traffic congestion.
