Akhaura-Agartala railway lies idle one year after inauguration

BRAHMANBARIA, Nov 25 (UNB): A year after its inauguration, Akhaura-Agartala dual-gauge railway remains inoperative, leaving the infrastructures idle and delaying cross-border trade.

The railway was inaugurated on November 01, 2023 aiming to enhance trade between Bangladesh and India but the train services have yet to begin.

Gazala Parveen Ruhi, Akhaura upazila nirbahi officer, said, "The decision on when the trains will start running lies with the government. Once the contractor officially hands over the project, discussions will begin and a timeline will be set by the authorities."

The railway constructed involving around Tk 2.5billion (250 crore) connects Gangasagar railway station in Akhaura, Brahmanbaria, with Nichintapur in Agartala, India, spanning 12.24 kilometres, with 6.78 kilometres within Bangladesh. The Bangladesh part was constructed by Indian contractor Texmaco Rail and Engineering Limited at a cost of Tk 2.41 billion (241 crore).

Though the project was initially expected to take one and a half years, delays of over six years occurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other challenges.

While the infrastructures are in place and trial runs have been conducted, the official inauguration in November 2023 was marred by incomplete facilities, including immigration and customs buildings, platforms, and access roads.

Despite a notification from the National Board of Revenue on October 31, 2023, allowing imports and exports through the railway, trade has not yet started.

Texmaco's project manager Vishal Bakshi said construction was completed in early November, 2023 and that preparations were underway for the handover. However, with no clear timeline for the launch of train services, uncertainty surrounds the future of the project, he added.

Local traders have expressed concerns that Indian traders may benefit the most from the railway.

The new route offers a more efficient and affordable means of transporting goods to India's northeastern states, which are currently served by more expensive road and rail routes. This could reduce exports from the Akhaura land port, with Indian traders taking advantage of lower transport costs, they said.

Rajib Bhuiyan, an importer-exporter at the Akhaura land port, said exports have already declined due to India's efficient internal transportation network.

Products such as rods and cement are exported to India, but with the railway's opening, Tripura traders will be able to transport these goods more cheaply, potentially undermining the land port's export trade.