(Photo/Chinanews.com)

On April 8 local time, Sri Lanka opened the first phase of a southern railway line, which will significantly boost the traffic and economy in the island's south.

The 26.75-km railway extension connecting Matara and Beliatta was constructed by The China Railway Group 5 (CR5).

It boasts the highest designated speed in the country at 120 km per hour.

It is the first Sri Lankan railway project sponsored by a Chinese company, and also the first new railway in Sri Lanka in the past nine decades.

Wang Xu, the design team leader from CR5, said that with the railway completed, people from the southern part of the country can now take the train to Colombo, the capital city which lies on the west coast, as well as the inland Uva Province, the tea growing region.

The railway is expected to extend to the Hambantota district, forming a network of rail, air and sea transport, said Wang.