As of Sunday, passenger train services between India and Bangladesh resumed after a gap of more than two years due to the pandemic. An Eastern Railway (ER) official said the Bandhan Express departed Kolkata station for Khulna in Bangladesh.
In addition, Maitree Express will resume services between Kolkata and Dhaka on Sunday and will arrive in the Bangladeshi capital on Monday morning, he said.
ER spokesperson Ekalavya Chakraborty said Bandhan Express left Kolkata station at 7.10 am to resume passenger train services between India and Bangladesh, which had been stopped for over two years.
Bandhan Express runs on two days a week between Kolkata and Khulna, while Maitree Express is a five-day service connecting Kolkata with Bangladesh’s capital.
The train services have just resumed, and are sold out for the next few days, says Chakraborty to PTI
People prefer train travel over other modes of transportation because of its comfort, convenient time schedule, and affordability, he said.
According to him, the trains can hold 450 passengers and have air-conditioned chair cars and executive class categories.
From June 1, the connectivity between India and Bangladesh via West Bengal will be boosted again by the inauguration of the Mitali Express between New Jalpaiguri and Dhaka, Chakraborty said.
As many travellers from Bangladesh are interested in exploring the Darjeeling Hills and the forests and tea gardens of the Dooars in the foothills, the new service will also boost tourism in northern West Bengal, according to his statement.
