The railway line connecting India and Bangladesh, the New Jalpaiguri-Dhaka Cantonment Mitali Express was flagged off today by the Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Nurul Islam Sujon.
This train marks the third passenger train service between India and Bangladesh. The New Jalpaiguri-Dhaka Cantonment train, bearing number 13132, will run two days a week, i.e., on Sundays and Wednesdays.
For the return journey, train no 13131, Dhaka Cantonment-New Jalpaiguri, Mitali Express will run every Monday and Thursday. The train will cover the distance of around 513km between New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal and Dhaka Cantonment in Bangladesh in nine hours.
As of now, the train will run with four air-conditioned cabin coaches, and four air-conditioned chair cars and will be hauled by a diesel locomotive. Suvendhu Kumar Chaudhury, DRM, Katihar division of Northeast Frontier Railway said, “We are ready to start the services, the train is ready with maximum facilities. Around 15-20 passengers have already booked their tickets for the first journey. “It is a direct service, with no pantry-car facility.”
“We have installed a number of CCTV cameras on the platform as well, and our Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel will be deputed in every corner. The Border Security Force (BSF) will take the train at Haldibari station and hand it over to Bangladesh at the Zero line,” he added.
A shopkeeper at New Jalpaiguri station, Prem Chand Prasad said, “This will boost up our business and will also create job opportunities.” The tickets for this train are available at the overseas Passenger Reservation System counters at New Jalpaiguri Station and Kolkata Railway Station.
The Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Jalpaiguri Jayanta Roy also called it a great opportunity for the people of North Bengal that the Indian Railway is set to start its first India-Bangladesh train service from New Jalpaiguri station (NJP). “Now people can take their journey from NJP for Bangladesh`s Dhaka,” he said.
“The new train services will improve the bilateral trade relation and socio-economic activities of India and Bangladesh. The services will further make travel easier for the passengers and will greatly benefit the tourism sector of North Bengal area along with other tourism hotspots across India,” the Chief Public Relations Officer of Northeast Frontier Railway Sabyasachi De said.
