Akhaura–Agartala line
| Akhaura–Agartala line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | Bangladesh Railway Indian Railways | ||
| Locale | |||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 4 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Railway line | ||
| Operator(s) | East Zone (Bangladesh) Northeast Frontier Railway zone (India) | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1 November 2023 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 15 km (9.3 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | Dual gauge (Bangladesh) Broad-gauge (India) | ||
| |||
Akhaura–Agartala line is a railway line between Bangladesh and India.[1] The railway line is a pivotal achievement for both countries. It has several benefits including, boosting tourism in the North East of India, reducing travel time from Kolkata-Agartala from 38 hours to a mere 10 hours by rail, reducing cost of cargo transport to and from Bangladesh and the North East of India, improving bilateral relations and more. It is expected to also act as a gateway to other NE Indian states such as Assam, southern Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
History
[edit]
The governments of the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on 21 May 2013 to connect Agartala railway station in India's northeastern state of Tripura and Akhaura Junction railway station in Bangladesh.[2] The total length of the railway line is planned to be 15.054 km, of which only 5 km is on the Indian side and the rest on the Bangladesh side.[3]
Construction of the railway began on 29 July 2018. Construction was supposed to be completed in 2020, but that was not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its construction period was later pushed back to May 2021.[4] Its deadline were then set for June 2022[5] and June 2023, respectively.[6] As of April 2023, the work was said to be 88% complete, with the remaining work to be completed in the next 6 months.[7] A trial run was completed in September 2023.[8] The line was inaugurated on 1 November 2023.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "আগরতলা-আখাউড়া রেলপথের কাজ এগোচ্ছে". Banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 27 January 2012. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "Work on Agartala-Akhaura rail link to commence soon". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "দ্রুত এগোচ্ছে আগরতলা-আখাউড়া রেলপথের কাজ". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "আখাউড়া-আগরতলা রেলপথ: সময় বাড়ল ২০২১ সালের মে পর্যন্ত". Dbcnews.tv (in Bengali). 4 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "আখাউড়া-আগরতলা রেলপথের অগ্রগতি নিয়ে হতাশ রেলমন্ত্রী". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 7 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ Hridoy, Masuk (9 November 2022). "আখাউড়া-আগরতলা রেলপথ: ৪ বছরেও শেষ হয়নি ১৮ মাসের প্রকল্প". The Daily Star (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ Deb, Debraj (29 March 2023). "88% of Agartala-Akhaura international railway connectivity project complete, work to finish in next 5-6 months: Tripura transport minister". The Indian Express. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ Ali, Syed Sajjad (14 September 2023). "Freight train trial conducted in Agartala-Akhaura rail route". The Hindu.
- ^ "'Historic': PM Modi, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina inaugurate cross-border rail link". The Indian Express. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.