From seven hours to three: China’s Tianshan Tunnel redefines travel in Xinjiang

Dhaka: China has inaugurated the world's longest Tianshan Shengli Expressway Tunnel on December 26, 2025. The tunnel has been regarded as a major engineering achievement, as it has been constructed under some of the most demanding geological and environmental conditions.

Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, meaning "Tianshan Victory Tunnel" in English, has been built at an altitude of 9,842 feet through the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang, China. The 22.13-kilometer-long tunnel, part of the Ürümqi–Yuli Expressway, has connected Ürümqi in the north of Xinjiang and Yuli in the south. It features two parallel tubes, each of which allocates two lanes of traffic.

Since its opening, travel time between Ürümqi and Yuli has drastically decreased from around seven hours to just three. This subsequently boosted trade, emergency access, and economic connectivity.

During its construction, high-altitude tunneling posed serious challenges, including thin oxygen levels for workers, unstable rock strata, subzero temperatures, and seismic risks. Engineers deployed advanced ventilation systems, real-time geological monitoring, and earthquake-resilient structural designs to overcome these hurdles.

Experts of the construction industry believe the project has established China as one of the most advanced tunneling nations, as it pushed the boundaries of underground construction.