Train reconnects India and Bangladesh
April 15th, 2008 - by Nazia Vasi43 years after India and Bangladesh snapped rail ties, the two nations bridged the gap, by resuming train services between Kolkata and Dhaka yesterday, marking the begining of the Bengali new year. The train, named ‘Maitree’ or friendship in Bengali, will ply between Kolkata on India’s eastern seafront and Dhaka the capital of Bagladesh, a distance of 406 kms. The train is expected to help rebuild ties with India’s neighbor to the east, Bangladesh (earstwhile East Pakistan), just as the Samjhauta (Hindi for understanding) Express did in the west, with Pakistan last year.
At least 10,000 people braved hot and humid weather to “welcome the passengers with flower petals and bouquets as they arrived,” Bangladesh Railways chief commercial manager Abdul Haq told the AFP.
While pasenger train links between the two countries were suspended following the India-China war in 1965, cargo links continued, and in the 1990s a passenger bus service was launched between Dhaka and Kolkata.
The Bengal region was split into West Bengal and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) when the subcontinent gained independance from British Colonial rule in 1947. People on both sides of the international border share the same culture and speak the same language.
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April 17th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Indian bureacracy cannot understand the HISTORICITY of this occasion. They just will not allow a bangladeshi passenger to get his return ticket immediately. the custom clearence took 4 hours while it seems the bus/air passengers donot face this problem.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Well yes, Johann, however at least it’s better than it used to be. There are some old wounds there, and it’s good that the train line is now open. You can’t expect everything to be 100% straight away. At least the line is now open.