DHAKA, May 1: French and Japanese railway companies are among six candidates shortlisted by Bangladesh to build a billion-dollar high-speed train service linking the capital and port city of Chittagong, a senior minister said Sunday. “We’ve shortlisted six foreign companies out of 10 which submitted the expression of interests to the Bangladesh Railway authorities,” Communications Minister Nazmul Huda told AFP.

Among the six are state-run French railways, SNCF, which operates the high-speed TGV trains and Japan Railways, which operates high-speed bullet trains, Huda said. The minister said the government had already endorsed the project and hoped to complete the selection of the company for the country’s biggest infrastructure investment this year.

“The company will have to lay a new track since the existing lines will not support the high-speed electric track,” Huda said.—AFP