PM Modi, Hasina to inaugurate cross-border rail project on Wednesday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina will jointly inaugurate a key cross-border railway project on Wednesday, officials said.

The prime ministers of the two neighbouring countries will launch the Agartala-Akhaura Cross Border Rail Link Project at 11 am in a virtual ceremony, they said.

The 15-km rail link (5 km in India and 10 km in Bangladesh) will boost cross-border trade and significantly reduce the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka, the officials said.

The trial run of the project was successfully completed on Monday, after a locomotive engine attached with four wagons entered Tripura, stopping at Nischintapur, a newly built railway station here.

The rail link encompasses one major bridge and three minor bridges.

At present, it takes about 31 hours to reach Kolkata from Agartala by train, which will be reduced to just 10 hours, an official said.

The Indian Railways had allocated Rs 153.84 crore from its budget to expedite the project work, he added.