Piers of China-Laos railway bridge rise above Mekong

Photo taken on July 11, 2018 shows the Ban Ladhan railway bridge under construction in Luang Prabang, Laos. The China Railway No.8 Engineering Group (CREC-8), in charge of the construction of the third section of the China-Laos Railway, said on Tuesday that it has built all the piers of the Ban Ladhan railway bridge over Mekong River above the flood level. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun)

The China Railway No.8 Engineering Group (CREC-8), in charge of the construction of the third section of the China-Laos Railway, said on Tuesday that it has built all the piers of the Ban Ladhan railway bridge over Mekong River above the flood level.

Tang Gaoyun, secretary of the party working committee of the CREC-8's third division at the section, told Xinhua that the division has completed the concrete casting of No.39 pier, one of the two piers planted in the middle of Mekong River on Sunday night.

"This means that both piers of the Ban Ladhan cross-Mekong River super major bridge have raised above the flood level before the maximum flood arrives. The success will contribute a lot to the timely completion of the construction of the cross-Mekong River Bridge," Tang said.

The pier construction consumes 20 tons steel bar and 472 cubic meters concrete.

To make the No.39 pier exceed the Mekong flood level earlier, the CREC-8 has been working round the clock since it finished the construction of the foundation of the pier on July 4.

In other relevant developments, the CREC-2 on June 14 has completed the main construction work of the Nam Khone super major bridge in Vientiane, the longest bridge along the China-Laos railway which is also the longest-ever bridge in Laos. A second cross-Mekong River bridge of the China-Laos Railway in Luang Prabang is also to rise above the Mekong River shortly.

The China-Laos railway is being promoted by the leaders of the two countries as a project of interconnectivity. Since the commencement of construction in December 2016, the building of tunnels, bridges, roadbeds and other sections has progressed smoothly along the route.

The China-Laos railway links Mohan-Boten border gate in northern Laos with the capital of Vientiane. About 60 percent of the 414-km railway are bridges and tunnels.

The operating speed of trains on the route is designed to be 160 km per hour. The railway is expected to be fully operational in December 2021.