On April 4, local time, the first section of the Padma Bridge Railway Connection Line in Bangladesh, which CREC constructed, began trial operation. As the first train crossed the Padma Bridge, the first ever train passed over the surging Padma River.
About 1000 people from the National Assembly of Bangladesh, the Ministry of Railways, local representatives, media reporters, project supervisors, and general contractors participated in the launching ceremony of the trial operation. Xinhua News Agency, Bangladesh, and South Asian media reported.
The Padma Bridge Railway Link is about 170 kilometers long, starting from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, passing through the Padma Bridge, and extending southwest to Jessore. It is a passenger and freight railway with a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The project is divided into three sections: the capital Dhaka to Mawa section, Mawa to Bangga section, and Bangga to Jessore section. At present, the project's overall completion is close to 80%.
As an essential part of the railway connection line of Padma Bridge in Bangladesh, Padma Bridge is the largest and most significant single bridge project undertaken by Chinese enterprises overseas. The bridge is located in the lower reaches of the Padma River. The main bridge is a 6.15-kilometer-long double-deck steel truss bridge for highways and railways. The upper layer is a four-lane expressway, and the lower layer is a single-track railway. On June 25, 2022, after eight years of construction, the Padma Bridge was officially opened to traffic, ending the centuries-old history of only ferrying between the two sides of the Padma River, so it was cordially called the "Bridge of Dreams" by the people of Bangladesh.
