Recently, the first section (Dhaka-Bhanga) of the Padma Bridge Rail Link in Bangladesh, which involved CASCO’s participation, successfully went into trial run, marking that the line is one step closer to the goal of opening to traffic. As the largest railway project under the framework of the “Belt and Road Initiative” between China and Bangladesh, the progress of this project has gained extensive attention and coverage by Xinhua News Agency and other central media.

Related report of Xinhua News Agency

On September 7, a grand opening ceremony was held to celebrate the trial run of the first section. Md. Nurul Islam Sujan, Minister of Railways of Bangladesh, all members of the Railway Committee of the National Assembly of Bangladesh, Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir, Respected Secretary of the Ministry of Railways of Bangladesh, Md. Quamrul Ahsan, Director General of the Bangladesh Railway, and Maj Gen A K M Rezaul Mazid, Head of Supervisory Project of Bangladesh Army attended the opening event. Representatives of participating contractors, local officials of the Bangladesh Railway and social groups, totaling more than 600 people, participated in and witnessed this grand event.

Scene of the trial run of the first section, Source: Salim, Xinhua News Agency

This project is undertaken by China Railway Group Limited, and CASCO participates in the subcontracted works as a telecommunication and signaling EPC integrator responsible for engineering design, proposal design, equipment procurement, transportation, installation, construction, testing, commissioning, warranty, and subsequent maintenance support, etc., which realized the application of Chinese telecommunication and signaling solutions in the Bangladesh Railway for the first time.

Considering the special local geography and climate, differences in signaling system standards, and client’s demands, CASCO customized an exclusive telecommunication and signaling solution for this project. The system not only has a streamlined architecture, but also features high safety redundancy and powerful expandability, and easy operation and maintenance, so that it can provide comprehensive technical support for the safe and efficient operation of trains.

Snapshots of the front line

With the successful trial run of the first section of the project, CASCO's efforts over the past three years will soon bear fruit. In the future, we will continue to carry out the construction with full concentration and make sufficient preparations to lay a solid foundation for the successful opening of the first section, help Bangladesh complete this "dream road" as soon as possible, and promote further development of China-Bangladesh cooperation under the "Belt and Road Initiative".