After a 55-year gap the people of North Bengal will be able to take a train to Bangladesh, thanks to the decision taken by the two countries to reopen the Indo-Bangla rail route from December 17, Northeast Frontier Railway sources said adding initially a goods train will run between the two countries.
The railway route will connect Haldibari in Coochbehar district to Chilhati in Bangladesh. The route was closed in 1965 when Bangladesh was a part of Pakistan.
NF Railway CPRO Subhanan Chanda said that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate Haldibari-Chilahati rail route on December 17. The distance between Haldibari railway station is 4.5 kilometres away from the international border Chilahati in Bangladesh is 7.5 kilometres away from the spot making the total distance between the two stations to 12 km, sources said.
Reports were confirmed by top officials of Katihar Division in North Bihar under which the Coochbehar-Jalpaiguri section falls. After the passenger trains start running the distance between Kolkata and northern Bangladesh would be reduced to a 7-hour journey sources said. Currently trains between India Bangladesh run between Sealdah and Bangladesh via the Gede route of Nadia district in South Bengal.