Rajshahi-Kolkata train on cards

A process is underway for introducing a passenger train service between Rajshahi and Kolkata in India.

Authorities of both the countries began official correspondence last week after India agreed on Bangladesh's proposal in this regard, Rajshahi lawmaker Fazle Hossain Badsha told The Daily Star yesterday.

The new route for passenger trains would use the rail link between Rohonpur in Chapainawabganj and Malda in India to reach Howrah station in Kolkata. Freight trains are already using this route, he said.

The trains under the Dhaka-Kolkata and the recently introduced Khulna-Kolkata services have been using the rail link between Bangladesh's Darshana and India's Gede frontier stations.

Fazle Hossain, a member of parliament from Rajshahi-2 constituency with Workers Party ticket, said he had sent the proposal in early July to the Indian government through the office of Assistant High Commissioner of India in Rajshahi.

“The rail link will attract Indian tourists to visit Rajshahi,” Fazle Hossain hoped, saying that many Indians would be interested to visit Rajshahi's Taherpur where Durga puja, the largest festival of Hindus in undivided Bengal, began.

Once the service is commenced, it would make communication with Nepal and Bhutan much easier, he also said.

Khairul Alam, general manager of Bangladesh Railway West zone, said they received letters from both governments with directives to make necessary preparations for passenger trains on this new route. The required infrastructure is already in place on the route as freight trains have been using it, he added.