On April 10, the continuous beam of the Fengtong Grand Bridge—the longest bridge on the China-Laos Railway constructed by China Railway No.5 Engineering Group—was fully closed, marking a major progress in the construction of the China-Laos Railway and laying a solid foundation for the railway's completion and opening to traffic on schedule.

　　Located in Vientiane Province and Vientiane City in central Laos, the Fengtong Grand Bridge is the longest bridge on the China-Laos Railway, with a total length of 7528.56 meters. Construction of the bridge began on July 27, 2020; the first pier and abutment were poured on October 12, 2020; and the construction of 1100 pile foundations was completed on January 30, 2021. Up to now, 182 piers have been completed, with a total bridge length of 4910 meters, accounting for 65.2% of the design. All pier and abutment construction is scheduled to be completed before June 1, 2021.

　　To ensure the continuous beam closure on schedule, the China-Laos Railway Project Department of China Railway No.5 Engineering Group took the following measures: first, monitoring the continuous beam construction throughout the process and assigning dedicated personnel to closely track the arrival of materials; second, holding multiple special training sessions on continuous beam construction to optimize the construction plan and improve the professional skills of on-site workers; third, strengthening on-site process management, scientifically arranging construction procedures, and optimizing schedules and resources; fourth, actively promoting the application of new materials, new processes, and new equipment to ensure project quality and improve construction technology.

　　The China-Laos Railway is a landmark project of the "Belt and Road" initiative. It is the first international railway invested and constructed mainly by China, adopting Chinese technical standards and Chinese equipment throughout, and directly connected to China's railway network. It is expected to be completed and opened to traffic by the end of 2021.