On May 3, Sinohydro Corporation Limited, and the Italian-Thai Development Public Company, signed an agreement with the Bangladeshi Ministry of Transportation. Under the arrangement, the two companies will form a consortium with the aim of building the first light rail in Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi government plans to build the country’s first light rail—Light Rail Line 6—in the capital city of Dhaka in order to ease the traffic congestion and reduce the commute times. The project will involve a total investment of about 2.75 billion US dollars, which will mainly come from foreign concessional loans and government funds. Light Rail Line 6 will be divided into eight contract sections. The consortium created by Sinohydro Corporation and Italian-Thai Company will jointly builds one contracted section.

The project is scheduled to be completed in 2024. Upon completion, the light rail’s highest speed is expected to be 100 kilometres per hour. The railway is expected to transport 500,000 passengers on a daily basis and receive constant upgrades in the future. (Xinhua) BY LIU CHUNTAO