China plans bullet train to Kolkata via Bangladesh

Chinese consul general in Kolkata Ma Zhanwu has said his country was mooting a bullet train service between Kunming and Kolkata, traversing through Myanmar and Bangladesh, reports NDTV.

With joint efforts of India and China, a high-speed rail link could be established between the two cities, Zhanwu said at a conference in Kolkata on Wednesday.

“It will only take a few hours to reach Kolkata from Kunming if the rail link becomes a reality,” he asserted.

The envoy also said that Myanmar and Bangladesh would benefit from the project, the report added.

“We may have a cluster of industries along the route. That increases the possibility of economic development of countries involved in the 2,800 km-long project,” he maintained.

The project had also found mention at the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) meet in Kunming in 2015, he said.

The rail route was aimed at boosting trade flow in the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) corridor, Zhanwu said, adding that his country has been striving for the revival of Silk Route to increase connectivity from Kunming to Kolkata, the report further said.

Asserting that the much-vaunted Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is not a scheme designed by China to conquer the world or its neighbourhood, the consul general said the project is all about “shared benefits and development” through consultations and discussions.