China builds first railway network in Sri Lanka

ISLAMABAD: China has built first Railways network in Sri Lanka since its independence in 1948. China on Tuesday said it has funded and built the first new rail line in post-independent Sri Lanka, adding that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project will boost regional economic development.

Inaugurated on Monday, the 26.75-km railway extension connecting Matara and Beliatta in southern Sri Lanka was constructed by the China Railway Group 5 (CR5) and financed by the Export-Import (Exim) Bank of China. “A major portion of the construction was carried out by China Railway Group 5 (CR5) and the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) which acted as the consultant,” the state media reported.

Trains on the track could run at 120 km per hour, the fastest in the country. “Yes, the phase one extension line of the southern railway in Sri Lanka is the first railway project contracted by a Chinese company in Sri Lanka under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and it is indeed the first railway built after the country’s independence,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Lu Kang said at the regular ministry briefing on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka became independent in 1948. The new rail segment will be a boost to Sri Lanka’s regional transportation, he said. “It is now officially opened and it will make regional transportation more convenient and facilitate local economic and social development. Yes, (the) Sri Lankan people are pleased to see that and China is pleased for the Sri Lankan people,” Lu said.