Mitali Express, 3rd Bangladesh-India passenger train, flagged off

Mitali Express, the third passenger train between Bangladesh and India, has been flagged off today.

Rail Minister Nurul Islam Sujan, who is now in India, and Indian Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw jointly flagged off the train virtually from Rail Bhavan in New Delhi at 10:10am.

There was an arrangement through which the programme was telecast live online.

The fully air-conditioned direct train with 10 coaches will be operated twice from Dhaka and twice from New Jalpaiguri (NJP) every week, the officials mentioned.

After flagging off, the train will depart from NJP at 11:45am and arrive in Dhaka at 10:30pm the same day, sources said.

Customs formalities will be completed at Dhaka's Cantonment Station and the NJP Station.

Mitali Express, inaugurated by the prime ministers of both countries on March 26 last year, will use Chilahati-Haldibari rail link.

Its operation, however, did not start due to the pandemic.

Speaking at the programme, Rail Minister Sujan asked the authorities concerned to increase the frequency of the train to five days per week as the route is likely to be very popular.

He said those, who came to power after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15, 1975, had neglected the railway sector.

At the time of the Liberation War, Bangladesh had a rail network of nearly 3,000km which came down to 2,500km and the total work force declined from 80,000 to 25,000, he pointed out.

He said it was only in 2011 when Bangladesh set up a separate railway ministry, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Sujan sought India's assistance in the development of Bangladesh's railway infrastructure, particularly in conversion of the entire rail tracks into broad gauze.

The Indian rail minister assured Bangladesh of all cooperation in toning up the latter's rail infrastructure and said, "India will never go back on its word in this endeavour."

He described the Mitali Express as "yet another milestone" in enhancing the friendship between India and Bangladesh.

The 17 railway projects being built in Bangladesh with India's financial assistance are the biggest component of India's three separate lines of credit extended since 2011, accounting for 25 percent of the total soft loans.