As the India-Bangladesh connectivity strengthens, the first goods train from Haldibari reached Chilahati in Bangladesh on Sunday, carrying with it construction material.
The stone chips laden goods train with 58 wagons rolled out of Dimdima station in Alipurduar at 10.30 am on Sunday. Its destination was Chilahati in Bangladesh via Haldibari.
After India’s partition, seven rail links operational between India and East Pakistan up to 1965, and of the recent four routes have been operational between India and Bangladesh; including Petrapole, Benapole, Darshana Rohanpur and Birol in Bangladesh.
The Haldibari – Chilahati Rail link is a fifth between India and Bangladesh and has been operational since December 2020, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi And Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
However, no trains officially operated on the route after that due to the pandemic situation.
The distance between Haldibari Railway Station to the international border is 4.5 km and 7.5 km from Chilahati till the ‘zero point’.
In May 2015, in pursuance of the joint declaration at the Inter-Governmental Railway Meeting (IGRM) held in Delhi, the Railway Board sanctioned the construction of a new broad gauge line from the Haldibari station to the Bangladesh border.
“The Haldibari-Chilahati rail link was operational till 1965. However, the war of 1965 effectively cut off all railway links between India and the then East Pakistan,” the Ministry of Railways had said in a statement in December 2020.
On the historic occasion, Indian Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw said in a tweet: “The first goods train through Haldibari – Chilahati rail link to Bangladesh crossed the zero point at 16:35 hours today. This rail link will encourage the economic & social development of the region and help in the growth of regional trade.”
The first goods train through Haldibari – Chilahati rail link to Bangladesh crossed the zero point at 16:35 hrs today. This rail link will encourage the economic & social development of the region and help in the growth of regional trade. pic.twitter.com/Ro4PZ00aWP— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) August 1, 2021
This route will be the shortest for transit of goods between the two nations especially from Assam, Bengal, Nepal and Bhutan, to Bangladesh. It will also bring in a new lease of life for regional trade and social economic development in the region including that of South Asian countries.
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