Akhaurha-Agartala train to ply by 2018

By the end of 2018 a new rail connectivity of India-Bangladesh is likely to operate, according to a joint high delegation of both nations after the conclusion of the fifth Project Steering Committee meeting of Agartala-Akhaurha (Tripura-Bangladesh) Railways in the Agartala state guest house on Wednesday.

The ten-member Indian delegation comprising senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Indian Railways was led by Ajit Kumar Gupte, Joint Secretary of MEA, government of India, while the eight-member Bangladesh team was led by Sashi Kumar Singh, Additional Secretary of the Bangladesh government.

“There is a stretch of 15 km which is still to be built and which will enable the railway line between Bangladesh and India to be connected. It will provide access for Bangladeshi goods to be able to come to India’s Northeast and enable the Northeast to access goods to Bangladesh,” said Gupte at a joint press conference after the meeting.

“We have met the Bangladeshi delegation led by very senior officials who had come to discuss a roadmap for implementing this project as soon as possible.”

 He stated that all pertinent issues related to the project had been discussed.

 “We discussed in detail issues such as land acquisition on both sides in Tripura and on the Bangladesh side in Brahmanbarhia. We also discussed how tenders would be issued, how the contracts would be given to respective companies and we have set specific deadline for implementation of the project,” said the India team leader.

He added that land acquisition was almost complete on the Indian side but was yet to start in Bangladesh and hopefully the project would be completed by 2018.

Gupte stated that the total cost of the project would be around Rs 972.52 crores, of which the Indian side would bear Rs 580 crores, and the Bangladesh side around Rs 392.52 crores, according to bdnews24.com.