Sri Lanka opens China-funded railway line

A train stops at the Matara Railway Station preparing to depart for Beliatta in Sri Lanka, April 8, 2019. The Sri Lankan government declared on Monday to open a railway line constructed between Matara and Beliatta in the southern part of the island country which will hopefully boost passenger traffic into the deep south. The railway extension was financed by the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) and the contract was awarded to China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation. A major portion of the construction was carried out by China Railway Group 5 (CR5) and Sri Lanka's Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB). (Xinhua/Guo Lei)