India-Bangladesh Railway Line: The much awaited 15.6 km long Agartala-Akhaura rail line connecting India’s Northeast region with Bangladesh is likely to be completed by September-end of 2022. The project, which was taken up after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in the year 2013, visited the Nischintapur yard on Friday by JS Lakra, Divisional Manager, Northeast Frontier Railway.
The divisional manager said that the goods will be sent from one country to another through the network, and later the service can also be availed by people for traveling. A PTI report said the railway project will connect Gangasagar under Akhaura sub-division of Brahmanbaria district of neighboring country to Nischintapur in India and from there to Agartala railway station.
The divisional manager said that the goods will be sent from one country to another through the network, and later the service can also be availed by people for traveling.
The divisional manager said that the goods will be sent from one country to another through the network, and later the service can also be availed by people for traveling.
India has a transshipment yard at Nischintapur. This is the first in the northeastern part of the country, and passengers coming from neighboring Bangladesh will be deboarded there. Also, the incoming goods will be unloaded at Nischintapur. The work on the Indian side of the railway project is almost complete. On the Bangladesh side, the construction of the rail project has resumed after a long gap due to the Covid-induced lockdown, the report quoted an official of IRCON International Limited as saying.
According to an IRCON official, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) is bearing the cost of laying the track on the Indian side for over 5.46 km while the neighboring country is bearing the cost of setting up a 10.6 km long rail section. is being borne by the Ministry of External Affairs, the official added.
Once the railway link is completed, both cost and time will be saved in freight transportation. In addition, heavy machinery using Bangladesh’s railway network as well as ports between the Northeast region and abroad will no longer need to travel from Kolkata, the official said.