PM Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to inaugurate the Agartala-Akhaura Cross-Border Rail Link on November 01

By  Firstdespatch Desk   Oct 30, 2023

Agartala, Oct 30 (FD) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina will jointly inaugurate the 15 km long Agartala-Akhaura Cross Border Rail Link on November 01, officials said today.

Sources said the Prime Ministers of the two neighbouring countries will inaugurate the project at 11 AM in a virtual ceremony.

Sources said Union Minister of Railway, Chairperson of Indian Railway Board and CMD, IRCON will also remain present in the virtual ceremony.

The General Manager of IRCON here said the trial run of the project will take place today at 12 PM.

The 15.064 km-long line (5.05 km in India and 10.014 km in Bangladesh) will connect India’s North-East with Bangladesh railways which would also boost cross border trade and reduce the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka.

At present it takes about 31 hours to reach Kolkata from Agartala by train, which will be significantly reduced to just 10 hours.

The Indian international railway station is located at Nischintapur, near here incorporate an international immigration station and a ware house.

The IRCON officials said, the project encompasses one major bridge and three minor bridges.

The Indian Railways has proactively allocated Rs 153.84 crores from its budget to accelerate the Agartala-Akhaura connectivity project. FD JK