Indian Railways is mulling to run a Maitree (friendship) Express between Kolkata and Khulna, a city in the southwestern part of Bangladesh, after a proposal from the neighbour. Khulna is considered to be a major trade centre. The seaport of Mongla is on its outskirts.
“Last month, Indian Railways received a proposal from Bangladesh railway containing details like proposed route. The final decision will be taken at an inter-governmental railway review meeting, ” said an official.
According to the proposal, the Kolkata-Khulna train will run through Bangaon in North 24 Paraganas district of West Bengal and Bangladesh’s Jessore district. The proposal was understood to be mooted for the first time by Bangladesh during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit in September last year.
Chandralekha Mukherjee, executive director (information and publicity), Indian Railways, said, “There is some talks about such a train, though I am not aware of the details. A meeting is scheduled to take place in the second week of January, where the matter is likely to be discussed.”
If the proposal materialises, this will be the second passenger train linking the two countries after Bangladesh attained freedom in 1971. Earlier, three trains — East Bengal Express, East Bengal Mail and Barisal Express — used to run between India and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The railway link was suspended in 1965 after India and Pakistan went to war. The Barisal Express connected Kolkata and Khulna.
After 43 long years, the biweekly Maitree Express linking Kolkata and Bangladeshi capital Dhaka was flagged off on April 14, 2008, by then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The train runs even now.
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Although the train has witnessed an increase in number of passengers in recent times, it does not seem to be a desired option for many because of the long hours it takes to complete the border crossing formalities.
“The total capacity of the train is 275. It used to carry about 40 passengers when it started. Now average booking is 50 per cent,” a spokesperson of the Eastern Railway said. The journey time in the train for a distance of about 538 km (120 km in India, 418 km in Bangladesh) from Kolkata to Dhaka is about 11 hours, including four hours for completing customs and immigration formalities on either sides of the border.
The two sides are examining the possibility of carrying out customs and immigration procedures on board to reduce travel time. Apart from Bangladesh, India has rail connectivity with Pakistan — the Delhi-Lahore Samjhauta Express and the Jodhpur-Karachi Thar Express.