Workers cast concrete for the construction of a 40-meter four-pipe communication tower of the future Vientiane railway station in Vientiane, Laos, March 31, 2020. With concrete cast for the construction of a 40-meter four-pipe communication tower of the future Vientiane railway station in the outskirts of the Lao capital on Tuesday morning, the China-Laos Railway communication signal project has been officially commenced. The communication signal project of the China-Laos railway, undertaken by China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd. (CRCC-EBG, simplified as EBG), is the core and key of the entire railway's train operation, command and control system, and is known as the "brain and nerve center" of the railway. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

With concrete cast for the construction of a 40-meter four-pipe communication tower of the future Vientiane railway station in the outskirts of the Lao capital on Tuesday morning, the China-Laos Railway communication signal project has been officially commenced.

The communication signal project of the China-Laos railway, undertaken by China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd. (CRCC-EBG, simplified as EBG), is the core and key of the entire railway's train operation, command and control system, and is known as the "brain and nerve center" of the railway.

The EBG project management told Xinhua that with the pressure of the COVID-19 prevention and control, the project team has to overcome numerous difficulties, and only within 40 days, the Chinese engineering team has completed the basic work of settling down, building corporate culture, and materials bidding in high standards and quality.

Meanwhile, to catch up with the construction timetable, the team also carried out the site survey of the whole railway and chose the Vientiane railway station tower as the first calibration station for communication.

Li Chunsheng, the in-charge of the EBG management, introduced that every detail of the construction process has been and will be fully monitored, from equipment inspections, tower positioning, foundation pit's staking, elevation measurement and excavation, foundation bearing capacity experiments, to the subsequent construction of the tower.

Li said that his Chinese engineering team will ensure that the quality of every part and every process are up to standard.

The EBG project management will strictly implement the epidemic prevention and control measures, fully organize favorite resources, advance the construction progress safely and efficiently, so as to submit a satisfactory answer to the peoples of China and Laos, said the Chinese engineer.

Also in this month, another Chinese railway engineering company, China Railway Wuhan Electrification Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (WEEG), kicked off the M&E (mechanical and electrical) engineering of China-Laos railway on March 15.

The China-Laos Railway is a strategic docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub.

The 414.332-km railway, with 198-km tunnels and 62-km bridges, will run from Boten border gate in northern Laos, bordering China, to Vientiane with an operating speed of 160 km per hour.

The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with the full application of Chinese management and technical standards.

The project started in December 2016 and is scheduled to be completed and open to traffic in December 2021.

Workers cast concrete for the construction of a 40-meter four-pipe communication tower of the future Vientiane railway station in Vientiane, Laos, March 31, 2020. With concrete cast for the construction of a 40-meter four-pipe communication tower of the future Vientiane railway station in the outskirts of the Lao capital on Tuesday morning, the China-Laos Railway communication signal project has been officially commenced. The communication signal project of the China-Laos railway, undertaken by China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd. (CRCC-EBG, simplified as EBG), is the core and key of the entire railway's train operation, command and control system, and is known as the "brain and nerve center" of the railway. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

A staff member checks the body temperature of a worker entering the construction site of China-Laos Railway communication signal project in Vientiane, Laos, March 31, 2020. With concrete cast for the construction of a 40-meter four-pipe communication tower of the future Vientiane railway station in the outskirts of the Lao capital on Tuesday morning, the China-Laos Railway communication signal project has been officially commenced. The communication signal project of the China-Laos railway, undertaken by China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd. (CRCC-EBG, simplified as EBG), is the core and key of the entire railway's train operation, command and control system, and is known as the "brain and nerve center" of the railway. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Workers cast concrete for the construction of a 40-meter four-pipe communication tower of the future Vientiane railway station in Vientiane, Laos, March 31, 2020. With concrete cast for the construction of a 40-meter four-pipe communication tower of the future Vientiane railway station in the outskirts of the Lao capital on Tuesday morning, the China-Laos Railway communication signal project has been officially commenced. The communication signal project of the China-Laos railway, undertaken by China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd. (CRCC-EBG, simplified as EBG), is the core and key of the entire railway's train operation, command and control system, and is known as the "brain and nerve center" of the railway. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)