Freight train test run on BRI railway via Padma Bridge conducted in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A freight train trial run was conducted successfully Saturday on a section of the railway built under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and via the Chinese-built Padma Bridge in Bangladesh.

Syed Ahmed, project director of Bangladesh Railway's Faridpur Rail Project, told journalists that the five wagons of the goods train carried 350 tons of stones during the trial run.

He said the train at a speed of up to 80 km per hour departed from Bhanga station in Faridpur district in central Bangladesh on Saturday morning, and returned to Bhanga station after reaching Mawa station.

Ahead of the BRI railway's opening, the Bangladeshi government last week launched the first passenger train on a major part of the newly-constructed mega BRI rail line crossing Padma Bridge.

The 172-km railway via the bridge 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.