bdnews24.com :
Bangladesh and India are set to relaunch a trans-border rail route between Chilahati and West Bengal’s Haldibari which has been lying inoperative for almost 55 years.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her India counterpart Narendra Modi will inaugurate the route in a virtual ceremony on Dec 17, the Press Trust of India reports.
A cargo train will run from Chilahati to Haldibari to mark the reopening of the route, according to Indian railway officials.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday informed the authorities of the decision to reopen the rail route, the PTI adds. The distance between Haldibari railway station and the international border is 4.5 km while Chilahati is around 7.5 km from the frontier.
The railway line from Haldibari in Cooch Behar to Chilahati in northern Bangladesh has been defunct after rail links between India and then East Pakistan was snapped in 1965.
Indian officials believe when passenger train service begins on this route, people will be able to travel to Kolkata from Jalpaiguri, which is near Siliguri, in seven hours, five hours less than what it takes now.
The South Asian neighbours have also announced plans to open a passenger train service connecting Dhaka and the Indian city of Siliguri in March, 2021.
Currently, the two countries only have one trans-border passenger train service, the Maitree Express, in operation, connecting Kolkata to Dhaka and Khulna.
Bangladesh and India are set to relaunch a trans-border rail route between Chilahati and West Bengal’s Haldibari which has been lying inoperative for almost 55 years.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her India counterpart Narendra Modi will inaugurate the route in a virtual ceremony on Dec 17, the Press Trust of India reports.
A cargo train will run from Chilahati to Haldibari to mark the reopening of the route, according to Indian railway officials.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday informed the authorities of the decision to reopen the rail route, the PTI adds. The distance between Haldibari railway station and the international border is 4.5 km while Chilahati is around 7.5 km from the frontier.
The railway line from Haldibari in Cooch Behar to Chilahati in northern Bangladesh has been defunct after rail links between India and then East Pakistan was snapped in 1965.
Indian officials believe when passenger train service begins on this route, people will be able to travel to Kolkata from Jalpaiguri, which is near Siliguri, in seven hours, five hours less than what it takes now.
The South Asian neighbours have also announced plans to open a passenger train service connecting Dhaka and the Indian city of Siliguri in March, 2021.
Currently, the two countries only have one trans-border passenger train service, the Maitree Express, in operation, connecting Kolkata to Dhaka and Khulna.
