Sri Lanka opens new railway line built with China’s assistance

The 26.75-km long Matara-Beliatta railway extension is the first to be constructed in Sri Lanka since 1948, and it has the country's longest and second longest railway bridges, measuring 1.5-km and 1.04-km, respectively.

Sri Lanka has opened a new railway line, built with China’s assistance, connecting its coastal city of Matara and Beliatta in Hambantota, a move that will boost passenger traffic into the island’s deep south. The 26.75-km long Matara-Beliatta railway extension is the first to be constructed in Sri Lanka since 1948, and it has the country’s longest and second longest railway bridges, measuring 1.5-km and 1.04-km, respectively, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported.