Bangladesh Railways has opened a 104km railway that extends its network from the previous terminus of Dohazari to the coastal city of Cox’s Bazar, The Daily Star reports.
The project was funded by the Asian Development Bank and built by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), China Railway Group, and Bangladesh’s Max Group.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s prime minister, and Yao Wen, China’s ambassador to Dhaka.
The line will cut the travel time between the port of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar from six to two hours. Prime Minister Hasina said the long wait of Cox’s Bazar residents for the line had finally ended. She said there was a longstanding demand for the line, and that was “met today,” Hasina said.
Chen Yongyi, a project manager with CCECC, told the Xinhua news agency that the railway would become part of the India-Bangladesh-Myanmar-China economic corridor.
Ke Changliang, chairman of CCECC’s Bangladeshi arm, added that the project was the first completed project of a joint venture between Chinese and Bangladeshi enterprises, which he said highlighted the concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative.
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