Barisal Express

Last updated

The Barishal Express was a railway train that was one of three train services running between India and Bangladesh (then East Pakistan). [1]

Contents

History

The Barishal Express launched in 1884. [2] The train connected the Indian city of Kolkata (then Calcutta) with the city of Khulna in Bangladesh, with a link train from Rupsa to Bagerhat for connecting Barishal. [1] The train used to take 4 hours to complete the 176 kilometres (109 mi) journey. The link train used to take another 1 hrs 45 minutes to connect Bagerhat, 74 kilometres (46 mi) away from Khulna. The railway link was suspended at the outbreak of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. [1] In 1972, the route reopened for 2 years for goods train service. [2]

An agreement was signed between India and Bangladesh in July 2000 to re-establish the train link. Feasibility studies had been going on since 1994. [2] The Bandhan Express is a new train recreating this route in the 21st century. [3] [4] [5] The immigration checks have been moved to Calcutta train station to avoid losing hours waiting at the border. [6] New Railway line to Barishal is being constructed, the line will bifurcate at Rupsanagar from the Mongla Port railway line & then head eastward towards Jatharpur, Sakambhuj, Bagerhat & then end at Barishal.

See also

Related Research Articles

Darshana is a border railway station in Darsana, Bangladesh, situated in Damurhuda Upazila of Chuadanga District, in Khulna Division. It is a rail transit point and a border checkpoint on the India-Bangladesh border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sealdah railway station</span> Railway station in Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Sealdah Railway Station is one of India's major railway terminals serving the city of Kolkata. It is the second largest railway station in India and West Bengal in terms of platforms, tracks and overall daily passenger holding capacity. The other main railway stations in the Kolkata metropolitan area are Howrah, Shalimar, Kolkata and Santragachi. Over 1.5 million passengers use the station daily. It is an important suburban rail terminal. Kolkata Metro Line 2 passes through Sealdah with the new underground Sealdah metro station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Railway</span> State owned rail transport agency of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Railway is the state-owned rail transport agency of Bangladesh. It operates and maintains all railways in the country, and is overseen by the Directorate General of Bangladesh Railway. The Bangladesh Railway is governed by the Ministry of Railways and the Bangladesh Railway Authority. Its reporting mark is "BR".

<i>Maitree Express</i> Maitree Express train service connecting Bangladesh to the Indian state of West Bengal

The Maitree Express (13109/13110) train, often pronounced Moitree Express, is the first modern day, fully air conditioned, international, express train service connecting Dhaka in Bangladesh to Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. The Bengali name Maitree Express means Friendship Express when translated to English, denoting the significance of the train service to the friendly foreign relations between India and Bangladesh. Previously train services between the two countries existed before the partition of India by the British and the Maitree Express re-established this connection between Dhaka and Kolkata in 2008 after being closed for 43 years. In 2017 a second train service, the Bandhan Express, was inaugurated connecting Kolkata with the Bangladeshi city of Khulna, recreating the previous Barisal Express train route.

The East Bengal Mail was one of three trains operated between India and East Pakistan. The rail link was suspended at the outbreak of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

The East Bengal Express was one of three trains operated between India and East Pakistan. The 256 kilometres (159 mi) long journey used to take 5 hrs 20 minutes, running at 48 kilometres per hour (30 mph). The East Bengal Express used to depart Sealdah at 23.40 hours & reach Goalundo Ghat at 05.00 hours. On return, the train used to depart Goalundo Ghat at 11.40 hours & reach Sealdah at 17.00 hours. Here is a brief on the importance of Goalundo Ghat in earlier years: "If one goes from Calcutta to Dacca the rail journey is broken at Goalundo and from there to Narayanganj is continued by steamer. The night mail from Calcutta deposits one at Goalundo in the early hours of the morning... It (Goalundo) is situated at the junction of the Padma, or Ganges, and the Brahmaputra, and daily services of steamers connect it with the railway systems at Narayanganj and Chandpur, and with the steamer services to Madaripur, Barisal, Sylhet, and Cachar. There are also daily services of steamers up the Padma to Digha Ghat in the dry season, and Buxar in the rains, and up the Brahmaputra to Dibrugarh. From that it will be seen that Goalundo occupies a very strong strategic position in the waterways of Bengal, a position which has been made much stronger by railway development."The rail link was permanently suspended at the outbreak of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport between India and Bangladesh</span> Transport links between India and Bangladesh

Transport between India and Bangladesh bears much historical and political significance for both countries, which possessed no ground transport links for 43 years, starting with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947. The Kolkata–Dhaka Bus (1999) and the Dhaka–Agartala Bus (2001) are the primary road links between the two countries; a direct Kolkata-Agartala running through Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is being developed by both countries. The Maitree Express was launched to revive a railway link between Kolkata and Dhaka that had been shut for 43 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh–India border</span> International border between India and Bangladesh

The Bangladesh–India border, known locally as the Radcliffe line (IB), is an international border running between the republics of Bangladesh and India that demarcates the six divisions of Bangladesh and the Indian states.

Gede is the last railway station on the Indian side of the Bangladesh–India border in Krishnaganj CD Block in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The corresponding station on the Bangladesh side is Darshana. It is the terminal station on the Sealdah–Gede section of Kolkata Suburban Railway system. There is a border checkpoint at Gede.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haldibari–New Jalpaiguri line</span> Railway line in India

The Haldibari–New Jalpaiguri line connecting Haldibari in Cooch Behar district and New Jalpaiguri in Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal, was since 1878 a part of the Kolkata–Siliguri broad-gauge route. With the partition of India in 1947, while the main part of the route lay in East Pakistan, later Bangladesh, the two ends of the route lying in India were detached.. However, the route continued to be operational till the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Thereafter, the route had been closed till its reopening in 2020. The rest of the line had been in use in the respective countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sealdah–Ranaghat–Gede line</span> Railway route in West Bengal, India

The Sealdah–Ranaghat–Gede line connects the Sealdah Main and North terminus of Kolkata with Ranaghat and Gede of Nadia district of West Bengal, India. Once a part of the old Calcutta–Siliguri main line, today it is a busy suburban section of the Kolkata Suburban Railway's Sealdah North section connecting the North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts with Kolkata. It is under the jurisdiction of the Sealdah railway division of the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways.

Haldibari Railway Station serves Haldibari town in Cooch Behar district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is an active railway transit point on the Bangladesh–India border. Important trains like New Jalpaiguri-Dhaka Cantonment-New Jalpaiguri Mitali Express runs through Haldibari and Kolkata-Haldibari-Kolkata Tri-Weekly Intercity Express, Sealdah-Haldibari-Sealdah Darjeeling Mail originate and terminate at Haldibari Railway Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangaon Junction railway station</span> Railway Station in West Bengal, India

Bangaon Junction is a Kolkata Suburban Railway junction station on the Sealdah–Bangaon line and Ranaghat–Bangaon line. It is located in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It serves Bangaon and its surrounding areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sealdah railway division</span> Railway division in West Bengal, India

Sealdah railway division is one of the four railway divisions under the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is located in Kaiser Street in Kolkata, West Bengal near the Sealdah railway station. Geographically the division covers the railway tracks and services in the areas between the Hooghly river on the west, Bangladesh on the north and east and the Sundarbans in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandhan Express</span> Bandhan Express train service connecting Bangladesh to the Indian state of West Bengal

The Bandhan Express train is an international express rail service which runs between the Indian city Kolkata and the Bangladeshi city Khulna every week. It is the second modern day, fully air conditioned passenger train link between the Indian state West Bengal and Bangladesh. The Bengali word Bandhan means bonding when translated to English. It was initially referred to as the Maitree Express II. A valid visa and passport is required before purchasing a ticket for the Bandhan Express train. Tickets are available at Khulna railway station in Bangladesh and at Chitpur Station in Kolkata, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sealdah–Bangaon line</span> Railway Route in West Bengal, India

The Sealdah–Bangaon line is a 78 km (48 mi) long broad gauge railway line that connects the Sealdah Main and North terminus of Kolkata with Bangaon of North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India. Once a part of the old Calcutta–Jessore–Khulna line, today it is a busy suburban section of the Kolkata Suburban Railway's Sealdah North section. It is under the jurisdiction of the Sealdah railway division of the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways.

<i>Mitali Express</i> Mitali Express train service connecting Bangladesh to the Indian state of West Bengal

The Mitali Express (13131/13132) train is an international express rail service which connects the Indian city of Siliguri with the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka every week. Together with the Maitree Express train and the Bandhan Express train, the Mitali Express train is the third modern-day fully air conditioned passenger train link between the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Both the prime ministers of the two neighbouring countries officially inaugurated the non-stop passenger train with ten compartments on the new 513 km route from Dhaka on 26 March 2021, the day Bangladesh celebrated the golden jubilee of its independence. The prime minister of India was in Dhaka to mark the auspicious occasion of fifty years of independence of Bangladesh. After 56 years of stoppage, this train route recreates the previous Siliguri route between India and Bangladesh. A valid visa and passport is required beforehand to purchase a ticket for the Mitali Express train. Tickets are available at Dhaka Kamalapur railway station in Dhaka, Bangladesh and at New Jalpaiguri railway station in Siliguri, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petrapole railway station</span> Railway station in West Bengal

Petrapole railway station is a railway station of the Indian Railways located in the North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal. Its station code is PTPL. It is located near the Indo-Bangladesh border and serves as a major border crossing point for freight trains to Bangladesh, with Benapole being the Bangladesh Railways counterpart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sealdah Main and North section</span> Railway Route in West Bengal, India

The Sealdah Main and North section refer to a set of rail lines which connect the city of Kolkata with its northern suburbs and with the North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal, India along the eastern bank of the Hooghly river. It is a part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway and is under the jurisdiction of the Sealdah railway division of the Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darshana–Jessore–Khulna line</span> Railway line in Bangladesh

Darshana–Jessore–Khulna line is a broad-gauge railway of Bangladesh Railway. The line is maintained and operated by West Zone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Thapliyal, Sangeeta. "India–Bangladesh Transportation Links: A Move for Closer Cooperation". Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses . Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Haroon Habib (21 January 2001). "India, Bangladesh reintroduce rail link" . The Hindu . Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "Maitree Express-II chugged across India, Bangladesh border amid cheers, applause". Firstpost . Indo-Asian News Service. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  4. ↑ "Sheikh Hasina visit: Maitree Express to be made fully AC, new passenger service to be announced". The Indian Express . Press Trust of India. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  5. ↑ "Prime Minister of India & Prime Minister of Bangladesh Jointly along with Chief Minister, West Bengal Flag off New Cross-Border Train between India & Bangladesh, "Kolkata–Khulna Bandhan Express" from Kolkata through Video Confencing". Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Ministry of Railways. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  6. ↑ "Train to Khulna chugs out after 52 years". The Telegraph. Calcutta. 10 November 2017. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.