After a gap of over four decades, rails services between Kolkata and Dhaka resumed today with the simultaneous launch of 'Maitree Express' from here and the Bangladeshi capital in a move aimed a strengthening ties between the two neighbours.Bedecked with flowers and amidst fanfare, the six-coach train began its nearly 15-hour historic run from a station in north Kolkata for Dhaka at 0710 hours as External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee gave the go-ahead signal through a remote control on 'Poila Baisakh,' the Bengali new year's day.Simultaneously in the Bangaldeshi capital, the Dhaka- Kolkata service left the Cantonment station after officials greeted passengers with flowers.The rail connection between Kolkata and Dhaka was snapped during the 1965 Indo-Pak conflict when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan. However, India and Bangladesh in 1996 resumed direct bus service linking Kolkata and Dhaka.The Moitree (friendship) Express will cover 538-km running 120 kms on Indian soil and the rest in Bangladeshi territory. With the Indian rake having a capacity of 368 passengers and the Bangladeshi one 418, the service will leave their respective starting points on Saturdays and return the next day.On its inaugural run, the train was briefly stopped in Nadia district in West Bengal by a group of people who squatted on the track demanding rehabilitation of Bangladeshi refugees. It, however, resumed its journey without security personnel having to use force to remove the blockade.Describing the occasion as memorable, Mukherjee said the service would bring the two countries closer. He also thanked Railway Minister Lalu Prasad at the function for introducing the train.
