South Asia
Bangladesh India Rail India's trial train returned from the border
Dhaka, March 12: An Indian test train with a seven-member delegation has returned from the Haldibari border in the ‘Immigration and Customs Complex’. Chilahati Railway Station Master Md Ashraful Islam confirmed on Thursday.
The train will be officially inaugurated by Bangladesh-India Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi on March 26, the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's independence.
The Chilahati-Haldibari railway line will run from Dhaka to New Jalpaiguri station.
After a long 55 years, on 17 December 2020, the Prime Ministers of the two countries inaugurated the operation of freight trains on the Chilahati-Haldibari railway line.
Chilahati Station Master Ashraful Islam said the direct passenger train service from Dhaka to New Jalpaiguri in India will start on March 26 on the Chilahati-Haldibari railway line. In preparation for the exercise, the Indian train was scheduled to reach Chilahati station on Thursday afternoon; But it had to go back from the border.
Citing Haldibari station master Satyajit Tiwari, Ashraful Islam further said that a train locomotive from New Jalpaiguri station with seven delegates came to train before the train started running.
The BSF did not allow them to cross the Indian border due to errors in other documents including lack of customs and immigration clearance. The locomotive could not reach the Chilahati railway station in Bangladesh from Haldibari due to non-issuance of Indian Immigration and Customs clearance.
Earlier on March 5, the Indian engine could not enter Bangladesh for the same reason, he said.
Chilahati Railway Construction Project Director Abdur Rahim said the present government has undertaken a project at a cost of Tk 80.16 crore to reopen the road which was closed after 1965.
The project included the construction of 6.724 km of broad gauge railway and 2.36 km of loop line from Chilahati railway station to the border.
