| Akhaura–Agartala line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Operational | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Bangladesh Railway Indian Railways | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Railway line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | East Zone (Bangladesh) Northeast Frontier Railway zone (India) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1 November 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 15 km (9.3 mi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | Dual gauge (Bangladesh) Broad-gauge (India) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Akhaura–Agartala line is a railway line between Bangladesh and India.[1] The railway line is a pivotal achievement for both countries. It has several benefits including, boosting tourism in the North East, reducing travel time from Kolkata-Agartala from 38 hours to a mere 10 hours by rail, reducing cost of cargo transport to and from Bangladesh and the North East, improving bilateral relations and more. It will also act as a gateway to other NE states such as Assam, southern Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
History
The governments of the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on 21 May 2013 to connect Agartala railway station in India's northeastern state of Tripura and Akhaura Junction railway station in Bangladesh.[2] The total length of the railway line will be 15.054 km, of which only 5 km is on the Indian side and the rest on the Bangladesh side.[3]
Construction of the railway began on 29 July 2018. Construction was supposed to be completed in 2020, but that was not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its construction period was later pushed back to May 2021.[4] Its deadline were then set for June 2022[5] and June 2023, respectively.[6] As of April 2023, the work was said to be 88% complete, with the remaining work to be completed in the next 6 months.[7] A trial run was completed in September 2023.[8] The line was inaugurated on 1 November 2023.[9]
References
- ↑ "আগরতলা-আখাউড়া রেলপথের কাজ এগোচ্ছে". Banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 27 January 2012. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ↑ "Work on Agartala-Akhaura rail link to commence soon". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ↑ "দ্রুত এগোচ্ছে আগরতলা-আখাউড়া রেলপথের কাজ". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ↑ "আখাউড়া-আগরতলা রেলপথ: সময় বাড়ল ২০২১ সালের মে পর্যন্ত". Dbcnews.tv (in Bengali). 4 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ↑ "আখাউড়া-আগরতলা রেলপথের অগ্রগতি নিয়ে হতাশ রেলমন্ত্রী". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 7 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ↑ Hridoy, Masuk (9 November 2022). "আখাউড়া-আগরতলা রেলপথ: ৪ বছরেও শেষ হয়নি ১৮ মাসের প্রকল্প". The Daily Star (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ↑ Deb, Debraj (29 March 2023). "88% of Agartala-Akhaura international railway connectivity project complete, work to finish in next 5-6 months: Tripura transport minister". The Indian Express. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ↑ Ali, Syed Sajjad (14 September 2023). "Freight train trial conducted in Agartala-Akhaura rail route". The Hindu.
- ↑ "'Historic': PM Modi, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina inaugurate cross-border rail link". The Indian Express. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.