As a main step towards boosting persons to persons make contact with, a railway hyperlink has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on Thursday amongst Haldibari and Chilahati. According to Indian Railways’ NFR zone, right after partition in the year 1947, seven rail hyperlinks had been operational amongst India and the then East Pakistan up to the year 1965. At present, there are 4 rail hyperlinks that are operational amongst India and Bangladesh- Petrapole – Benapole, Gede – Darshana, Singhabad -Rohanpur, Radhikapur – Birol. The newly inaugurated Haldibari – Chilahati rail hyperlink is the fifth rail hyperlink amongst the two nations.
The rail hyperlink amongst Haldibari and Chilahati, which was component of the Broad Gauge principal route from Kolkata to Siliguri for the duration of partition was operational till 1965. Even right after partition, trains traveling to the northeastern state of Assam and North Bengal continued to travel by way of the then East Pakistan territory. However, for the duration of the war in 1965, the railway hyperlinks amongst India and the then East Pakistan had been proficiently reduce off.
According to NFR, in pursuance of the joint declaration in the IGRM, which was held in Delhi in May 2015, the Railway Board sanctioned for building of a new Broad Gauge line from Haldibari railway station to Bangladesh Border for connection with Chilahati, covering a length of 3.50 km in 2016-17, to reopen this rail hyperlink. The national transporter, at a expense of Rs 82.72 crores, has restored the railway tracks up to the international border from Haldibari railway station. Accordingly, upgradation performs and laying of missing tracks had been undertaken by Bangladesh Railways on their side from Chilahati railway station to the international border. On the Bangladesh side, the current line connecting Chilahati – Parbatipur – Santahar – Darshana is currently in broad gauge.
The newly opened railway route amongst Haldibari and Chilahati will be effective for transit into the neighbouring nation, Bangladesh from the states of West Bengal and Assam. This rail hyperlink will improve the accessibility of the railway network to the dry ports, principal ports, land borders to help the development in regional trade as properly as to encourage the region’s financial and social improvement. Once passenger trains are planned in this route, the public of each nations will be capable to reap the advantage of each passenger and goods website traffic. Also, with this line, vacationers from Bangladesh will be capable to conveniently pay a visit to locations such as Sikkim, Darjeeling, Dooars other than nations like Bhutan, Nepal, and so forth. This new rail hyperlink will also advantage the financial activities of these South Asian nations.