As the construction of Chinese railway expands from hills to deep mountains and from the inland to the frontier, drill-and-blast tunnels are critical components increasingly confronted with extreme geological conditions and demanding environments. With the rapid development of information and communication technologies such as artificial intelligence, robots, and the Internet of Things, the construction of drill-and-blast tunnels is evolving from full-process mechanization toward greater intelligence and less manpower. This paper systematically reviews the research progress of unmanned construction technology in drill-and-blast tunnels. It focuses on the research status concerning key unmanned technologies, including intelligent construction equipment, digital twin modeling, remote centralized control and collaborative operation of equipment group. The paper also summarizes current achievements and identifies challenges related to equipment intelligence, technology integration, and the establishment of standard systems. Finally, the development trend of integrated application of unmanned construction technology in drill-and-blast tunnels in the future is prospected, in order to provide a reference for promoting the intelligent construction of railway infrastructure .