Recently, the Fuzhou-Xiamen high-speed railway has started operations. This marks the inauguration of China's first cross-sea high-speed railway with a maximum designed speed of 350km/h in China, ushering Chinese high-speed rail into the era of transoceanic travel.

The Fuzhou-Xiamen high-speed railway has a total length of 277.4 km. The Quanzhou Bay cross-sea bridge, a key and project constructed by CCCC's Second Harbor Engineering, constitutes a vital component of this line. The bridge stretches over 20.3 kilometers, with a sea section measuring 8.96 kilometers, and features a main span of 400 meters, making it China's cross-sea high-speed railway bridge.

The main tower of the bridge stands tall at 160.25 meters and is structured in an H-shaped design, reminiscent of a seashell curve. The bridge tower harmoniously blends aesthetics with maritime culture, embodying the cultural significance of Quanzhou as the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

To construct the tower, the project team innovatively developed an intelligent hydraulic climbing formwork. This formwork combines formwork assembly and maintenance, and it not only reduces the labor intensity but also improves the construction precision, accelerating formwork assembly adjustments by nearly three times.

The Quanzhou Bay is known for its high salt fog, which significantly corrodes steel materials. As a first in China, the project applied paint-free, weather-resistant nickel-based steel materials to the steel anchor beams, achieving a breakthrough in long-term corrosion protection.

The project systematically conducted computational simulation analysis throughout the construction process, and developed an intelligent construction monitoring system. This system enables real-time and intelligent monitoring, ensuring construction safety and achieving millimeter-level precision during the bridge's closure.

To ensure the bridge's century-long quality and future maintenance, the bridge features an integrated online bridge-rail monitoring system. Leveraging modern information technologies such as smart sensing, geographic information, satellite navigation, and cloud computing, this system can evaluate the structural integrity and safety of the bridge, ensuring the bridge's dependability, functionality, and long-term durability.

The Fuzhou-Xiamen high-speed railway is an important part of China's high-speed rail network in the coastal areas. This high-speed railway marks another milestone in China's pursuit of intelligent rail technology, following the success of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway and the Beijing-Xiong'an intercity railway.