DHAKA, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- "I had been eagerly awaiting this train," said Shamim Ara Tania, a resident of southwestern Bangladesh's Jashore City, stressing that "the dream has become reality today."
The train Tania referred to is the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project (PBRLP), Bangladesh's largest railway project, which officially opened its entire line to traffic here Tuesday.
The railway, known locally as the "Dream Road," stretches approximately 170 km. Following its opening, travel time between the capital Dhaka and Jashore will be reduced from the original 10 hours to just three hours, connecting more than 20 districts across the country, benefiting a population of 80 million and driving Bangladesh's economic growth.
Taking the first train from Dhaka to Jashore, Tania expressed her excitement. "It's so fast, making travel between cities and regions much more convenient," she said.
Describing the project as a milestone, Tania remarked, "The faster the communication system becomes, the greater the opportunities for the country's development."
"Previously, we had to transfer between multiple trains or buses to travel from Khulna to Dhaka, but this is now a thing of the past," said Sumi Akhtar, who took the first train from Khulna to Dhaka with her children.
"I am thrilled to take this train via the Padma Bridge for the first time, as it significantly shortens the travel time. Previously, the journey was far more time-consuming," she said.
"This feeling cannot be expressed in a single word. It is an impossibly beautiful feeling," said Ishtiaq Ahmed, a train director of Bangladesh Railway in Khulna.
Noting that the railway begins a transformative chapter in the history of Bangladeshi railway, Md. Fahimul Islam, secretary of the Ministry of Railways, said, "It is not just a bridge; it is a bridge of prosperity. This rail link will boost regional trade and social development by connecting the southwestern region of Bangladesh to the capital and beyond."
The PBRLP, one of the significant projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Bangladesh, was built by the China Railway Group Limited and funded by the Export-Import Bank of China.
The rail link, which started construction in July 2018, incorporated Chinese standards, technology, and equipment in its construction. At its peak, it employed over 10,000 local workers and trained more than 20,000 Bangladeshi technical personnel, laying a solid foundation for the future development of Bangladesh's railway system.
"For the railway system, including communications and signaling, we adopted an integrated standard combining Chinese and local standards," said Shi Yuan, the project director of the PBRLP.
From a technical standpoint, the project introduced China's advanced ballastless track technology, applying it to one-quarter of the line. This innovation has reduced maintenance costs and improved long-term operational efficiency, he said.
"During construction, we deployed a large number of advanced Chinese railway construction machines, significantly shortening construction timelines. In some sections, the duration was reduced from a planned one year to just one month, bringing substantial advancements to Bangladesh's construction industry," the director added. ■