Rail track installation starts on Bangladesh's largest bridge

Bangladeshi Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan inaugurates the installation of rail track on the lower deck of Bangladesh's Padma Bridge on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 20, 2022. (Xinhua)

DHAKA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Installation of rail track on the lower deck of Bangladesh's Padma Bridge started Saturday.

The bridge, the largest in Bangladesh, is a part of the construction work of the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project contracted by a Chinese company.

Bangladeshi Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan inaugurated the works at the Zajira end of the bridge on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka.

After the inauguration, the minister told media that it will be possible to run trains on one of the rail link project's three sections, Dhaka to Bhanga in the central Faridpur district, for some 81 km by June 2023.

The 172 km Padma Bridge Rail Link Project is scheduled to be completed in 2024. It is one of the most significant projects under construction by the China Railway Group Limited (CREC) and funded by the Export-Import Bank of China.

The rail link will pass through the Padma Bridge, the largest of its kind in Bangladesh, which was built by the China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co. Ltd.

The Padma Bridge is located about 40 km southwest of Dhaka, with a total length of 9.8 km, and of that, the main bridge is 6.15 km long.

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 this year as the bridge opened to traffic.

The rail link, also a vital channel that connects the trans-Asian railway network, is expected to greatly promote regional connectivity and the economic development of Bangladesh.