VIENTIANE, Jun 17 (NNN-KPL) – The China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group (CREC-5), completed the construction of the main structure of the longest bridge along the China-Laos Railway, the Phonethong super major bridge.
The Chinese engineering company, the CREC-5, said yesterday, with the last pier cemented on Monday, the main structure of the Phonethong super major bridge, the longest China-Laos Railway bridge, with a length of 7,528.56 metres and 231 piers, was completed.
The construction of the Phonethong bridge kicked off last July, in the Lao capital, Vientiane, the southern end of the China-Laos Railway.
The China-Laos Railway’s construction confronted with huge challenges and difficulties in the pandemic, but work progressed in an orderly and balanced manner that strengthened confidence in the timely completion of the railway by this Dec, Bounthong Chitmany, Vice President of Laos said, when talking to Xiao Qianwen, general manager of the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd., which is responsible for the construction and operation of the railway.
The China-Laos Railway is a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos’ strategy, to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub.
The over 400-km railway will run from Boten border gate in northern Laos, bordering China, to Vientiane with an operating speed of 160 km per hour.
The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with full application of Chinese management and technical standards. The construction of the project started in Dec, 2016 and is scheduled to be completed and open to traffic by Dec this year.– NNN-KPL
