Passenger train connecting NJP with Dhaka to operate twice a week from March 26

SILIGURI: With an aim to improve person-to-person connection between the two countries, a new passenger train service is all set to roll out on March 26 connecting New Jalpaiguri (NJP) in the northern part of Bengal, India with Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

This was a long-standing demand of the people of these two countries.

In a two day-long meeting between Railway top brass of the two countries, the officials finally decided on the logistics of this train service.

Talking to media persons at NJP on Wednesday, Ravinder Verma, Divisional Railway Manager, Kathihar, Northeast Frontier Railway, stated that this would be a through train from NJP to Dhaka Cantonment station.

"It will be a bi-weekly train covering 513 km in around 8 hours. The train will have 10 coaches including 2 AC coaches, 6 sleeper cars and 2 chair cars. There will be two immigration check points, one at NJP and the other at Dhaka cantonment" stated Verma.

The train will depart on Mondays and Thursdays from NJP and Tuesdays and Fridays from Dhaka.

The train will depart at 2pm from NJP and reach Dhaka at around 9 pm.

It will depart from Dhaka at 11pm and reach NJP at 7am the next day.

"It will be a major boost to tourism also as NJP is well connected with all important cities of the country" added DRM, Kathihar.

The rake will be provided by India and the staff will be from India on the Indian side and from Bangladesh on the Bangladesh side.

"In the next phase we will connect Nepal and Bhutan" stated Sahidul Islam, DRM, Paksey, Bangladesh. He stated that with the partition in 1947, railway connectivity between these two stations had been served.

"People of both the countries suffered a lot of connectivity issues and urged that this route be revived" he added.

A ticketing committee will be set up soon to decide on the fare. Students, patients and tourists from Bangladesh frequent North Bengal.