Agartala-Akhaura cross-border rail link project set to be inaugurated on November 1: All you need to know

1. 01

   When was the trial run completed?

   The trial run of the project was successfully completed on Monday, after a locomotive engine attached with four wagons entered Tripura, stopping at Nischintapur, a newly built railway station.

2. 02

   What is the significance of the project?

   The 15-km rail link (5 km in India and 10 km in Bangladesh) will significantly reduce the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka. At present, the rail route from Agartala to Kolkata is around 1600 kilometres and takes 38 hours. Once the rail link opens, the travel time will be reduced to roughly 10 hours. The rail link will also enable goods trains to reach the north eastern region via Bangladesh at a much lesser transportation cost. Further, it will also provide a direct access between landlocked north eastern India and Chittagong port of Bangladesh.

3. 03

   When was the project envisioned? What were the costs involved?

   The project was sanctioned during the year 2012-13 and the foundation stone for Agartala-Akhaura rail link was laid in July 2016. It encompasses one major bridge and three minor bridges.

   As per official estimates, the construction of the Indo-Bangla international railway link through the Agartala-Akhaura route has cost Rs 862.5 crore till now.

4. 04

   Why was the project delayed?

   The project was supposed to be completed in 2020 but was delayed following land acquisition issues and the Covid-19 pandemic.

   Sunindra Chaudhury, an executive engineer of the Indian Railways, told The Indian Express, "For goods trains, the line will be opened very soon but for passenger trains, there are some formalities that need to be observed by the Indian Railways and the Bangladesh Railway Board."

5. 05

   How are India and Bangladesh connected by road?

   Tripura shares an 856 km-long international border with Bangladesh, parts of which are still unfenced owing to local disputes. The state’s only road connectivity with the rest of the country is through Assam and a narrow strip of land in West Bengal’s Siliguri.

   Akhaura used to be the railway link for Agartala during the colonial era.

With inputs from agencies