To further strengthen the bilateral relationship, 20 broad-gauge (BG) locomotives were virtually flagged off to Bangladesh in a handing-over ceremony held on Tuesday at Rail Bhavan, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways.

From Bangladesh, Minister of Railway Md. Nurul Islam Sujan participated in the ceremony virtually. The event was attended by A K Lahoti, chairman & CEO, Railway Board, Board members, senior officials of the Railway Board, and delegates of Bangladesh.

Advertisement

The Indian Railways handed over the 20 broad-gauge trains to Bangladesh as part of an initiative to handle rising passenger volumes and freight requirements. The journey starts from Gede in India and culminates in Darshana Bangladesh.

In a meeting held in June 2022, the two sides discussed multiple sides of railway operations between the two countries, said Bangladesh Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan. The move was aimed at promoting trade and travel between the two countries. The new locomotives are expected to meet rising passenger and freight movement demands on both sides.

India has fulfilled a promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by handing over these trains to Bangladesh, said Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Vaishnaw said, “India’s relationship with Bangladesh is civilizational, cultural, social, and economic. Prime Ministers of both countries are playing proactive roles to improve bilateral relationships across social, economic, and political sectors. Indian Railways are also playing a vital role in improving and strengthening rail connectivity across the border and improving trade between both countries. As of now, five BG connectivity are operational, namely Geda- Darsana, Benapol- Petrapol, Singhabad- Rohanpur, Radhikapur- Birol, and Haldibari-Chilahati. Work on two more cross-border rail connectivities, Akhaura-Agartala and Mahihasan-Shahbazpur are progressing well and are likely to be completed and commissioned shortly.”

The three trains in operation between the two countries have received encouraging responses from the public.

The speed at which the relationship between Bangladesh and India is growing.  We have a strong civilizational cultural, social, and economic relationship. Now, this relationship is being standard through various projects that we have taken together.

The railway minister of Bangladesh said there are a total of nine interchange points between India and Bangladesh at various points in the bottom five are already functioning so work is going on. All the nine points are restored back to the cultural heritage that we always have. We are also very keen on the progress of three pairs of passenger trains.

More cross-border linkages should be worked out to encourage passenger and cargo traffic, said Vaishnaw. India and Bangladesh have ongoing projects worth $1.7 billion, he added. Vaishnaw also offered to convert tracks to broad gauge for Bangladesh.