PM Modi, Sheikh Hasina to inaugurate cross-border rail project on Nov 1

The trial-run of Akhaura-Agartala rail link was conducted on Monday. It was for the first time the locomotive engine attached with four wagons entered into the Indian territory of Tripura. The ambitious Agartala-Akhaura rail project will be flagged off by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on November 1. 

Before entering to the Indian side of Nischintpur near Agartala, the BSF personnel carried out the screening of the engine and attached wagons to it. There was a palpable joy among the people residing near the Indo-Bangla border with many of them flashing their mobile phones to take images and video of the locomotive engine when the white coloured gates opened to allow the engine to enter.

 

The project is significant from international as well as from the domestic point of view.  At present, the rail route from Agartala to Kolkata is around 1600 kilometres and



takes about 38 hours.

 

The footfall of passengers from Agartala to Kolkata is significantly very high due to the linguistic similarity between the two states. Both states also share age old cultural and business relations and Agartala depends on Kolkata from the medical tourism point of view as well.

 

Upon operationalisation of the Agartala-Akhaura Rail link project the distance will reduce by around 500 kilometres and the travel time will be of 16 hours between Agartala and Kolkata. In addition, this rail link will also provide a direct access between landlocked north eastern India and Chittagong port of Bangladesh.

 

Mentionably, the Ministry of DoNER  has funded the railway line from Agartala to Nischintpur; whereas Ministry of External Affairs had funded for the rail line from Nischintpur to Gangasagar which is in Bangladesh.