South Asian Media Net - Dacca-Kolkata train service in July

South Asian Media Net
Dhaka-Kolkata train service in July
Wednesday, June 06,2007

DHAKA: Commercial Dhaka-Kolkata train service is expected to begin in the third week of July, 42 years after the rail link was snapped because of war. The train service was stopped in 1965 after the war between India and Pakistan when Bangladesh, the then East Pakistan, was a part of Pakistan.

‘We expect to launch the commercial train service between Dhaka and Kolkata from the third week of July after settling some issues with the Indians,’ said communications secretary Mahbubur Rahman on Tuesday after a meeting with railway officials.
Mahbubur said the trial run of the non-stop train service, which would take around 11 hours to travel the 375-kilometre route, might be started from either the last week of June or the first week of July.
The train will initially start its journey from Cantonment station in Bangladesh and from Chitpur in India. After six months, the train will depart from Kamalapur station.
The meeting, presided over by the communications secretary, finalised a set of proposals to be sent to the Indians within a week for their consideration.
The proposals include the number of trains to be plied every week, immigration formalities, fare and security of passengers.
The communications secretary said that Bangladesh Railways had proposed completion of immigration formalities at the departure point in Bangladesh and Gede on the Indian border.
He said though India has proposed running only one train a week, Bangladesh wants to run a train every alternative day.
‘We want to run trains on alternate days,’ he said, adding if India does not agree, Bangladesh’s other proposal is for Bangladesh Railways to run the train on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and for Indian Railways to run its train on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
He said the proposed fare for a one-way journey is at $8 for a seat in a coach, $12 in the air-conditioned coach and $20 in the sleeping berth. Initially Bangladesh Railways will run a train with the capacity to carry 300 passengers.
Mahbubur said the train service would be commercially viable if at least 100 passengers board the train each trip.
To ensure passenger safety, 20 security guards will be deployed in each train and CCTV cameras will be installed at the departure point.
The Bangladesh and India governments signed an agreement in 2001 to resume direct rail service between Dhaka and Kolkata. Both the cities are at present connected by air and bus service only.