Chinese-built railway inaugurated in Bangladesh to bolster connectivity, transportation infrastructure

The Dohazari to Cox's Bazar Railway, one of the priority development projects in Bangladesh, was inaugurated on Saturday to bolster connectivity and transportation infrastructure in the South Asian country.

The 103.5-km railway, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), was partly built by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and the China Railway Group Limited (CREC).

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen attended the inauguration ceremony.

In her speech delivered at the event, Prime Minister Hasina said this was the day of feeling proud.

"The long wait of Cox's Bazar residents has finally come to an end. There is a longstanding demand in this region. The demand is met today," Hasina said, adding the rail link marked the beginning of a new era.

Chen Yongyi, project manager of lot two, told Xinhua that the railway, which will shorten the travel time between Chattogram and Cox's Bazar from six to two hours, will become a key route of the trans-Asian railway network in Bangladesh and an important part of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor.

The lot two of the project was constructed by the CCECC in close association with its local partner Max Group.

"This is a good and pleasant day for us. I felt very comfortable working with this Chinese company. They are very professional. We have successfully done this project, possibly one of the best and most interesting projects I have done in Bangladesh," said Ghulam Mohammed Alomgir, chairman of Max Group.

Ke Changliang, chairman at CCECC Bangladesh Limited and president at the Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh, said that it was the first completed railway project of a joint venture between Chinese and Bangladeshi enterprises, which highlighted the concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

It also effectively promoted cooperation between the two countries' companies and local infrastructure industry, he added.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road and beyond.