Modi, Hasina inaugurate Bandhan Express train service
Our Correspondent / New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Thursday jointly launched a new passenger train service between Kolkata and Bangladesh’s southwestern industrial city of Khulna.
Both the leaders were joined by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Kolkata.
The train has been named as ‘Bandhan Express’ and it will operate on the 177-km-long Khulna-Kolkata route and the distance will be traversed within four-and-half hours.
Bandhan Express has joined the Kolkata-Dhaka Moitree Express to become the second cross -border train plying between the two countries.
In his inaugural speech, Narendra Modi said the words ‘Bandhan’ and ‘Moitree’ define the core of the bilateral relationship between the two neighbours. As connectivity increases, people to people contacts will improve which will give a boost to economic development of both the countries. He said both countries are working to restore the pre-1965 rail and road connectivity that existed between the economies.
The two Prime Ministers also inaugurated the International Passenger Terminal at Kolkata which will offer end to end simplified immigration and customs clearance services for passengers of both Moitree and Bandhan Express.
Speaking on the occasion Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the inauguration of Bandhan Express and International Passenger Terminal in Kolkata is a dream come true for the people of Bangladesh. She said with the restoration of the direct rail link between Khulna and Kolkata, which was snapped in the 1950s, the easy movement of people and trade between southwestern parts of Bangladesh and Kolkata will positively impact both economies.
She said with India’s help, Bangladesh is fast realizing the dream of ‘Sonar Bangla’ of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The second Bhairab Railway Bridge over river Meghna jointly inaugurated today has been constructed under the Indian Line of Credit. It will immensely cut travel time between Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong and Sylhet.
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