Groundbreaking of Yunwu Mountain Tunnel for Bishan-Tongliang Express Line, a PPP Project in Chongqing

On the morning of April 19, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Yunwu Mountain Tunnel, an urban rail PPP project for the Bishan-Tongliang express line of Chongqing, kicked off at Dongsun Village, Qinglong Town, marking the official start of the project construction.

Wang Xiaobo, deputy head of the Tongliang District Government of Chongqing City, attended the groundbreaking event and announced the start of construction. Du Jiang, deputy director of Track Division of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Wang Changyou, director of Tongliang District Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission, UCD’s deputy general manager Xia Xiujiang, Luo Jiangling, general manager of Chongqing Railway Group Co., Ltd., Zhu Jiandong, general manager of Chongqing Jinlong Urban Construction Investment Co., Ltd. and Zou Shengyong, deputy general manager of Chongqing Lufa Asset Management Co., Ltd., attended the ceremony. Dong Wei of Chongqing Yuxi Express Line Construction and Operation Co., Ltd. (project company) presided over the ceremony.

The PPP project of the Bishan to Tongliang line, an urban express line, starts at Bishan Station in Bishan District and ends at Tongliang West Station in Tongliang District. The line is 37.5 kilometers long, with 9 stations, 1 parking lot and 2 main substations. The cooperation period of the project is 20 years, with the construction period to last 4 years and the operation period 16 years. The total investment is estimated to come to approx.8.6 billion yuan. The project company composed of Beijing Urban Construction Group Co., Ltd., UCD, and Chongqing (Railway) Group Co., Ltd. is responsible for all work concerning the entire process of investment and financing, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and transfer.

"The start of the Yunwushan Tunnel construction marks the start of the construction of all Bishan-Tongliang express line. The Bishan-Tongliang line is a demonstration line connecting Bishan and Tongliang districts, and it is also the first-ever PPP+TOD suburban railway project in real sense in China. The Tongliang District Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission will do a good job of relevant coordination work to build the Bishan-Tongliang line into a model project for the whole city.” said Cao Yixi, deputy head of the Capital Construction Section of the Tongliang District Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission.

Li Guangjiang, of the project company, said that full play will be given to the comprehensive advantages of all parties in the project and the principle of high standards, high quality, and high-level planning, organization and implementation will be observed to ensure that the project progresses steadily as scheduled to live up to the mission, and that difficulties will be overcome and every effort will be exerted to build an urban demonstration project in a bid to offer a satisfactory answer to citizens of Chongqing!

The Bishan-Tongliang express line is a combination of PPP investment and financing model and TOD integrated development, an innovation concept by UCD, and embodies the comprehensive strength of the enterprise's entire industrial chain and is a major breakthrough for UCD to enter the suburban and urban railway market. The completion of the project will further accelerate the rapid urbanization development of the Bishan District and Tongliang District, and realize the trip of "the main city in half an hour and the metropolitan area in one hour", which will bring major benefit to the citizens of Chongqing.