Bangladesh, India agree to boost railway connectivity

Dhaka: Bangladesh and India agreed to boost railway connectivity between the two countries due to growing demand from passengers, Bangladeshi state media reported.

The decision came at a delegation level meeting held between the Railway Minister of Bangladesh Nurul Islam Sujan and his Indian counterpart Piyush Goel at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi.

After the meeting, Goel announced that frequency of Kolkata-Dhaka Moitree Express and Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan Express would be increased following passenger’s demand.

Sujan told memebrs of the press that they had proposed the frequency of journey of Moitree Express should be increased to six days a week from the existing four days and the frequency of Bandhan Express from the present one day a week to three.

But, officials of the two countries would finalise the details “very soon”, according to what India's railway minister told members of the press during a briefing after the meeting.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce some major joint initiatives on connectivity during the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s New Delhi visit in October.

Responding to Goel's remarks, Sujan said the main aim of Bangladesh premier’s visit to India was to congratulate the new government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.