Hasina, Modi to open 2 rail lines on November 1

The Akhaura-Agartala rail line is set to be inaugurated on November 1.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will virtually join the inaugural ceremony, said Abu Zafar Mia, director of Akhaura-Agartala Railway Project.

Meanwhile, Hasina and Modi will also inaugurate the Khulna-Mongla track on the same day, said Ahmed Hossain Masum, chief engineer of the project, reports UNB.

According to the project officials, in July 2018, the Indian contractor Texmeco Rail and Engineering Limited started the construction of the Akhaura-Agartala railway.

The Bangladesh part of the 12.24 km long railway is 6.78km. It took more than five years to complete the project due to various crises including the pandemic.

The Khulna-Mongla track. Photo: Collected

A container train with seven officials on board including the train director (guard), assistant director, loco master and assistant loco master, started its journey at 12:20pm from Gangagar in Akhaura, Brahmanbaria and successfully completed the 35-minute journey to Nishchintapur rail station in Agartala, said officials.

Meanwhile, the Khulna-Mongla track project was approved at an Ecnec meeting on December 21, 2010. The work began in November 2016.

Initially, the project was scheduled to be completed in May, 2020. However, it experienced both time and cost overruns.

The construction work of the approximately 90km rail line was completed at a cost of Tk 4,260 crore. The Khulna-Mongla rail line is poised to usher in new opportunities in trade and commerce for the country's southwestern region, including the Mongla port, said project officials.