AMN/ WEB DESK
The first goods train on the revived Chilahati-Haldibari route between Bangladesh and India is scheduled to leave the Alipurduar section of India for Bangladesh on Saturday, 31 July. The Chief Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the North Western Frontier Railway Subhanan Chanda told Prasar Bharti Spl. Correspondent at Dhaka that goods train with 30 wagons will be carrying stone chips for Bangladesh. It is expected to reach Bangladesh on 1st August.
The Haldibari-Chilahati train route was opened in December last year for the operation of the goods train after a gap of 55 years during the virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The passenger train will also run on the same route. This route was closed during the India-Pakistan war of 1965.
However, the operation of the trains remained disrupted due to the COVID 19 pandemic in India and Bangladesh.
At present, five rail routes connect Bangladesh and India namely Petrapole-Benapole, Gede-Darshana, Singhabad-Rohanpur Radhikapur-Birol and Haldibari-Chilahati.