Photo taken on Sept. 12, 2021 shows a view of Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project under construction in Munshiganj on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Xinhua)
The test run was conducted by the Bangladesh Railway authorities on one of the rail link project's three sections from Bhanga to Mawa in the central Faridpur district through the country's largest Chinese-built Padma bridge.
by Naim-Ul-Karim
DHAKA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government launched the first train on a newly-constructed rail line on Tuesday through the South Asian country's largest Chinese-built Padma bridge.
The special train, run on a trial basis, carried Bangladeshi Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan, senior officials, lawmakers, politicians and journalists, among others.
China Railway Group Limited (CREC) workers welcomed the train waving mini-flags of Bangladesh and China and setting off fireworks as the train was passing a station near the Padma bridge.
Aerial photo taken on Aug. 27, 2021 shows a view of Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project under construction in Munshiganj on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Xinhua)
Thousands of people gathered on both sides of the rail line while it entered the lower deck of the double-decked Padma bridge, which carries a highway on the top deck.
It took 16 minutes for the trial train to cross the 6.15-km bridge at a very low speed of around 20 km per hour.
The test run was conducted by the Bangladesh Railway authorities on one of the rail link project's three sections from Bhanga to Mawa, in the central Faridpur district.
Railways Minister Sujan, who flagged off the trial run, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would inaugurate train service on the Dhaka-Bhanga route in September this year.
"The CREC is working very hard maintaining the quality of trial run. I would like to thank the CREC on behalf of the government and country residents. Hopefully they will work more for us in the future," Sujan said.
The works for the route under the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project (PBRLP) are going to be completed by August, he said while expressing his full satisfaction with the bridge.
Photo taken on Sept. 12, 2021 shows a view of Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project under construction in Munshiganj on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Xinhua)
The Padma Bridge is located about 40 km southwest of Dhaka. The full length of the Padma Bridge rail link is 172 km and the railway, which started to be constructed in July 2018, is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
Among the project's three major sections, the Mawa-Bhanga portion is 93 percent completed, the Dhaka-Mawa portion 74 percent, and the Bhanga-Jessore portion 68 percent.
So far 45 passenger coaches out of the 100 procured from China have been delivered to Bangladesh.
Aerial photo taken on Aug. 21, 2021 shows a view of Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project under construction in Munshiganj on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Xinhua)
It is one of the most significant projects under construction by the CREC and funded by the Export-Import Bank of China.
The rail link has passed through the Padma Bridge, the largest of its kind in Bangladesh, which was built by the China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group.
The history of crossing the mighty Padma river between dozens of districts in southern Bangladesh and the capital of Dhaka only by ferries or boats ended in June last year as the bridge was opened to traffic.
The rail link, also a vital part in the trans-Asian railway network, is expected to greatly promote regional connectivity and the economic development of Bangladesh. ■
