South Asian Media Net
BD, India deal on Agartala rail-link
Saturday, May 07,2011
Bangladesh and India have clinched a deal finalising the alignment for the proposed Akhaura-Agartala rail-link.
The two neighbours also renewed the bilateral agreement for running Maitree Express between Kolkata and Dhaka for three more years.
Top officials of India and Bangladesh discussed and accepted the alignment for the proposed 14-kilometer-long rail-link in the Inter-Governmental Railway Meet in New Delhi.
The four-day-long parleys between Bangladesh and Indian Railways came to an end on Friday.
Officials of India's Ministry of Railways said that the two sides also had detailed discussion on the topographical survey along the alignment of the proposed rail-link.
Bangladesh and India had on April 10, 2008 signed a bilateral agreement to run a passenger train Maitree Express between Kolkata and Dhaka Cantonment.
The bi-weekly train was introduced on April 14, 2008. The agreement was valid for three years and extendable for similar periods of three years at a time.
It was accordingly extended by mutual consent of the two countries during the meeting in New Delhi.
During the Inter-Governmental Railway Meet, Dhaka and Delhi also agreed to explore ways to reduce transit time of the Maitree Express "within the prevailing system of working by lessening detention at stations on either end".
The change would become effective from the next time table of 2011 or earlier, said Indian Railways officials.
The top officials of the Indian and Bangladesh Railways also discussed a proposal to introduce a luggage handling system on Maitree Express on the line of airlines.
They also decided to open a new ticket counter for Maitree Express at Kolkata Station.
During prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi in January 2010, India and Bangladesh had agreed to lay tracks between Akhaura and Agartala.
It was agreed that the construction of the proposed Akhaura Agartala railway link would be financed by a grant from India.
The Indian government is likely to spend an estimated amount of Indian Rupees 251 crore for the rail link, which New Delhi plans to bring to reality within three to four years.
The director-general of Bangladesh Railways, Mohammed Tawhid Ul Anwar Chowdhury led the five-member delegation from Dhaka to Delhi for the Inter Governmental Railway Meet with top officials of Indian Railways.
Bangladesh and India hold Inter Governmental Railway Meet once every six months.
Officials of Indian Railways said in New Delhi that the feasibility survey on the Bangladesh side was underway at present. The preliminary survey on the Indian side had already been done, they added.
A joint team of Indian and Bangladesh railway officials have been working on the project, which will link Agartala, the capital of northeastern Indian state of Tripura, with Akhaura in Bangladesh.
New Delhi has been keen to establish the Agartala-Akhaura rail-link as it would pave the way for connectivity between India's West Bengal State and Tripura through Bangladesh.
Until a few years ago, Tripura only had a nominal rail-head that linked one of its northernmost towns with neighbouring State of Assam and then with rest of India. Agartala was brought within the Indian Railways' networks in 2008.
The North-Eastern Frontier Railways of the Indian Railways runs passenger trains between Agartala and Silchar in southern Assam.
The Indian government already initiated works for upgrading the Silchar-Agartala rail-line from Meter Gauge to Broad Gauge.
Besides, surveys for extending the rail-link to Sabroom in southern Tripura. Sabroom is also very close to India-Bangladesh border and just about 70 kms from Chittagong Port.
The other issues discussed at the Inter Government Railway Meet included container train services between Bangladesh and India and running of freight trains between the two countries.
The rail officials also decided that the Sanskriti Express run by Indian Railways on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Ravindranath Tagore would be run to Dhaka sometime after next August.
Indian Railways on May 9 last year launched the special exhibition train at Howrah Station in West Bengal.
The exhibition train has coaches christened as Jeevan Smriti, Gitanjali, Muktadhara and Chitralekha.
The Jiban Smriti provides a glimpse of Tagore's life through photographs, while his songs, poems and letters were put on display in Gitanjali.
Muktadhara takes visitors on a journey through his novels, essays and plays. Chitralekha depicts his paintings, while the fifth coach depicts the last journey of Tagore.
BD, India deal on Agartala rail-link
Saturday, May 07,2011
Bangladesh and India have clinched a deal finalising the alignment for the proposed Akhaura-Agartala rail-link.
The two neighbours also renewed the bilateral agreement for running Maitree Express between Kolkata and Dhaka for three more years.
Top officials of India and Bangladesh discussed and accepted the alignment for the proposed 14-kilometer-long rail-link in the Inter-Governmental Railway Meet in New Delhi.
The four-day-long parleys between Bangladesh and Indian Railways came to an end on Friday.
Officials of India's Ministry of Railways said that the two sides also had detailed discussion on the topographical survey along the alignment of the proposed rail-link.
Bangladesh and India had on April 10, 2008 signed a bilateral agreement to run a passenger train Maitree Express between Kolkata and Dhaka Cantonment.
The bi-weekly train was introduced on April 14, 2008. The agreement was valid for three years and extendable for similar periods of three years at a time.
It was accordingly extended by mutual consent of the two countries during the meeting in New Delhi.
During the Inter-Governmental Railway Meet, Dhaka and Delhi also agreed to explore ways to reduce transit time of the Maitree Express "within the prevailing system of working by lessening detention at stations on either end".
The change would become effective from the next time table of 2011 or earlier, said Indian Railways officials.
The top officials of the Indian and Bangladesh Railways also discussed a proposal to introduce a luggage handling system on Maitree Express on the line of airlines.
They also decided to open a new ticket counter for Maitree Express at Kolkata Station.
During prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi in January 2010, India and Bangladesh had agreed to lay tracks between Akhaura and Agartala.
It was agreed that the construction of the proposed Akhaura Agartala railway link would be financed by a grant from India.
The Indian government is likely to spend an estimated amount of Indian Rupees 251 crore for the rail link, which New Delhi plans to bring to reality within three to four years.
The director-general of Bangladesh Railways, Mohammed Tawhid Ul Anwar Chowdhury led the five-member delegation from Dhaka to Delhi for the Inter Governmental Railway Meet with top officials of Indian Railways.
Bangladesh and India hold Inter Governmental Railway Meet once every six months.
Officials of Indian Railways said in New Delhi that the feasibility survey on the Bangladesh side was underway at present. The preliminary survey on the Indian side had already been done, they added.
A joint team of Indian and Bangladesh railway officials have been working on the project, which will link Agartala, the capital of northeastern Indian state of Tripura, with Akhaura in Bangladesh.
New Delhi has been keen to establish the Agartala-Akhaura rail-link as it would pave the way for connectivity between India's West Bengal State and Tripura through Bangladesh.
Until a few years ago, Tripura only had a nominal rail-head that linked one of its northernmost towns with neighbouring State of Assam and then with rest of India. Agartala was brought within the Indian Railways' networks in 2008.
The North-Eastern Frontier Railways of the Indian Railways runs passenger trains between Agartala and Silchar in southern Assam.
The Indian government already initiated works for upgrading the Silchar-Agartala rail-line from Meter Gauge to Broad Gauge.
Besides, surveys for extending the rail-link to Sabroom in southern Tripura. Sabroom is also very close to India-Bangladesh border and just about 70 kms from Chittagong Port.
The other issues discussed at the Inter Government Railway Meet included container train services between Bangladesh and India and running of freight trains between the two countries.
The rail officials also decided that the Sanskriti Express run by Indian Railways on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Ravindranath Tagore would be run to Dhaka sometime after next August.
Indian Railways on May 9 last year launched the special exhibition train at Howrah Station in West Bengal.
The exhibition train has coaches christened as Jeevan Smriti, Gitanjali, Muktadhara and Chitralekha.
The Jiban Smriti provides a glimpse of Tagore's life through photographs, while his songs, poems and letters were put on display in Gitanjali.
Muktadhara takes visitors on a journey through his novels, essays and plays. Chitralekha depicts his paintings, while the fifth coach depicts the last journey of Tagore.
