Kolkata-Dhaka 'Maitree Express' resumes after 43 years

As Bangladesh is battling to restore democracy India as an affable neighbour has move forward together with the Muslim nation to sweeten and strengthen their relationship have restored a 43-years old passengers train service that was suspended following a war. After a gap of four decades the new friendly train service would connect both the nations twice in a week.

India’s External Minister Pranab Mukherjee today flagged the ‘Maitree Express’ 3110 DN from the newly made Kolkata Terminal in the presence of Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, Governor of West Bengal Gopal Krishna Gandhi and Chief Minister of State Budhadev Bhattacharya early in the morning.

The Train will take 11 hours of 403 km long journey to reach Dhaka Cantonment railway station in which it would be halt at two points- one in India and another in Bangladesh for checking security, customs and immigration on both the stations.

The return train with the same name ‘Moitree Express’ 3109 UP will also begins its maiden journey today from Dhaka Cantonment to Kolkata Station. Today is ‘Pehla Baisakh’ the New Year day for Bengalis and also a historic occasion for both the countries.

The train is schedule to run biweekly Saturday and Sunday. The train comprising with six coaches and one pantry car with total seat capacity of 418 passengers will leave Dhaka at 8:30 AM every Saturday and it would return on the next day, while from the opposite friendship express will leave Kolkata for Dhaka at 7:10 AM (local time) on Saturday and return on Sunday.

For measuring security and immigration purpose, both the country have set up two checkpoints one in each country. Gede station that comes in the zone of Nadia district of West Bengal is India’s customs and immigration checking point while Bangladesh has selected Darshana station for the same purpose. All the trains will have to halt on both the checkpoints for one and half hours.

The fare for the journey has been fixed at Rs.320 (Indian Currency) per person for non-air conditioned economy class and Rs. 480 per person for a seat in the air-conditioned compartment. A sleeping berth will cost Rs.800 per person per berth. A single passenger can carry 35 kg of weight while a child below 5 years of age can carry 20 kg without any charge.

This friendship train service has been restarted after 43 years of gap. Before this there were three trains that were linked both the countries from Sealdah (Kolkata) to three different East Pakistan’s (previous name of Bangladesh before its freedom from Pakistan) destination points.

Since the independence of India from 1947, there was a regular overnight railway service from Kolkata to Goalandu and later to Dhaka (then Dacca) via Narayangunj.

At the time of Pakistan’s Partition on 1965, there were three train services East Bengal Mail, the East Bengal Express and the Barisal Express from Sealdah (in Kolkata) to different destinations of then East Pakistan. But after the Indo-Pak war, the service was interrupted since then.

However, some people are still not pleased with beginning of this service because the security forces on Sunday Morning have recovered four live bombs near the track of Bankimnagar station on the Ranaghat-Gede section of the Eastern Railway in Nadia district on which the Maiteee Express is scheduled today. All the four bombs have been defused and the security of that route has been intensified.

The Moist activities in those areas have been recently increased as per report says while a group of Hindu refugees (sacked from Bangladesh) has reportedly demonstrated a protest near Bankimnagar station on Sunday Morning against the beginning of the ‘friendship’ train.

All the protestors have been first arrested and later released.

There are only 65 passengers have been reported in the inaugural journey including, journalists and delegates. Some of Indians have complaint against not properly providing the information of ticket booking and selling counters.

A passenger coach and freight trains have already in operation between the two nations.