China shows interest in Bangladesh\`s high-speed train

Two Chinese state-owned companies have recently written to the government of Bangladesh_ expressing their interest in implementing the Dhaka- Chittagong hi-speed railway project.

They wanted to execute the project on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis through government to government (G2G) collaboration.  The two companies were - China Railway Group Ltd (CREC) and China Communications Construction Ltd (CCCC).

The CREC wrote the letter on January 15_ and the CCCC on March 18. The letters were sent through the Bangladesh Embassy in China. The FE has obtained copies of both the letters.

The $11 billion project is one of the major projects of Bangladesh government. The Bangladesh Railway (BR) plans to implement the project_ under which 227 km-long rail track will be constructed to connect the capital with the port city.

In its letter_ the CREC said it undertook similar hi-speed rail projects in different countries like Indonesia_ Laos_ Hungary_ and Serbia. With an annual turnover of over $120 billion_ the CREC is the largest railway company in China_ having about 300_000 staff. In Bangladesh_ the CREC has bagged the contract for the Padma Multi-Purpose Bridge Project and the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project.

On the other hand_ the CCCC undertook large high-speed railway projects like Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Tianjin. The company also constructed the landmark bridge over the sea from Hong Kong to Macau.

According to the BR officials_ after completion of the hi-speed railway project_ the travel time between Dhaka and Chittagong will be only 73 minutes_ including five stoppages. The trains will run at a top speed of 300 km per hour having the capacity to carry approximately 50_000 passengers each way daily. Ticket price for each passenger will be around Tk 2_000_ they added.

According to the transportation experts_ the hi-speed rail project will be crucial to further develop the Dhaka-Chittagong economic corridor. Besides_ it will contribute to making Bangladesh a transportation hub between South Asia and South-East Asia.