(Yicai Global) April 8 -- China National Machinery Import and Export has opened the first railroad ever built by a Chinese company in Sri Lanka, which doubles up as the first track built on the island country in over 90 years.

The Beijing-based firm began the project in August 2013 in tandem with China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group,  state-owned news agency Xinhua reported. The USD278 million line has a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour, also making it Sri Lanka's fastest railroad, and connects the southern cities of Beliatta and Matara.

Sri Lanka's existing rail transit system, revered by travelers for its slow-moving trains and picturesque trains, dates back as far as the 1860s. The country finished its most-recent line in 1928.

Editor: James Boynton