India, Bangladesh to restore train services after 36 years
India, Bangladesh to restore train services after 36 years
India and Bangladesh plan to restore a daily train service after a gap of 36 years, an Indian official said on 16 May.
The train service between Calcutta, the capital of India’s West Bengal state, and Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, is expected to start by July, said Amarkanti Biswas, the inspector-general of railway police.
“We are taking all necessary steps to start the service," said Biswas, who was part of an Indian delegation that held talks with Bangladeshi officials on Tuesday.
Calcutta and Dhaka are at present connected by air and bus services.
On Tuesday, the two sides agreed to expedite efforts to restore the rail link, Biswas told The Associated Press.
The train services stopped in 1965 following a war between India and Pakistan. Bangladesh was then the eastern part of Pakistan and became independent in 1971.
The slow train is expected to cover a distance of 350 kilometers (215 miles) between Dhaka and Calcutta in 12 hours. Authorities on both sides have to clear encroachments by villagers who have started living in mud huts close to the railroad track.
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