Bangladesh
Padma Bridge New Padma Bridge will shorten Dhaka-Kolkata travel time: Railway officials
Dhaka, June 19: If the Padma railway bridge is opened, it will be possible to travel from Dhaka to Kolkata in three and a half hours. This will be the reality after three years.
Officials of Bangladesh Railway say that after the launch of the Padma Bridge rail link project, unprecedented development will take place in the Dhaka-Kolkata connectivity. Now it takes 10 hours to reach Kolkata from Dhaka, but it will take just three and a half hours after three years.
Bangladesh Railway officials said the Maitri Express train can now travel directly from Dhaka to Kolkata. It takes at least 10 hours to cross this 400 km long route. The railway bridge over the river Padma will be commissioned by March 2024. If it is introduced, the travel time from Dhaka to Kolkata will be reduced by two-thirds.
Meanwhile, it takes 30 hours by rail from Kolkata to Agartala. That time can be reduced to six hours. If the Padma bridge is constructed, rail service may be started on this route as well.
By March 2024, the railway bridge over the river Pramatta Padma will be commissioned. If it is introduced, the travel time from Dhaka to Kolkata will be reduced by two-thirds.
At present, the Maitri Express reaches the Cantonment Station in Dhaka from Kolkata station via Nadia, Gede and Gede, crossing the border station of Bangladesh. This route has to cover about 400 kilometers of railway.
The Maitri Express train on the Dhaka-Kolkata route is closed due to coronavirus.
Once the construction of the Padma Bridge is completed, the train will be able to reach Dhaka from Kolkata station via Bangaon junction, Haridaspur border, Benapole, Jessore, Narail and Faridpur. The distance of this route will be about 251 kilometers. It should not take more than three and a half hours to cross the Maitri Express.
Meanwhile, the road from Dhaka to Kolkata takes almost all day. There is a distance, with a long line waiting for the ferry to the Padma. That scenario is changing. An ambitious bridge is being built over the river Padma. The long wait is coming to an end and the bridge will be launched next June. However, we have to wait till March 2024 to get full rail connection over the bridge.
