Maitree-2 to run on Khulna-Kolkata route soon

In response to popular demand and need for introduction of a weekly passenger train service between Khulna and Kolkata, Bangladesh and India have agreed to expeditiously evaluate the feasibility of initially operating the once a week Maitree-2 train service very soon. According to the officals of the Ministry of Railway, Bangladesh, Indian and Bangladesh delegation agreed in principal to introduce the Second Maitree Express train, during a meeting in New Delhi recently. During the meeting, the net profit from Khulna-Kolkata route had been estimated at Tk60 million (6 crore). Both sides agreed that the route of this train will be between Bangladesh’s Khulna and India’s Kolkata via the longer Gede-Darsana railway route, said a senior officer of Bangladesh Railway, who took part in the recently-concluded Indo-bangla meeting in Delhi. He said, the Maitree-2 will be in addition to the existing train service between the two countries. He said, “If the Second Maitree Express route has been opened on the proposed route, the long-standing demand of southwestern region of the country will be fulfilled.” From the British era, the people of greater Faridpur and Khulna and Barisal divisions used to go to Kolkata through rail route. The train service was functional even after the partition of India. However, after India-Pakistan war in 1965 the rail service had been stopped. But the people of the country’s southwestern region have been demanding for direct rail service for a long time. In the Delhi meeting, the Bangladesh and Indian delegations agreed to expeditiously evaluate the feasibility of initially operating this once a week service via the longer Gede-Darsana route with an Indian Railways’ rake and review arrangements after issues relating to conduct of customs and immigration checks at Benapole and Petrapol or Kolkata, Khulna get settled. The Bangladesh delegation included the Railway additional director general (RS) Khalilur Rahman, additional director general (operation) Habibur Rahman, railway ministry’s joint secretary Muhammad Akbar Hossain, joint director general (finance) Manoara Habib, councilor AFM Jahid-ul-Islam of Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, customs joint commissioner Miah Abuobaida, foreign ministry assistant secretary (South Asia-1) Morshedur Rahman Talukdar and Railway assistant director (inter charge Traffic) Kalikanto Ghose. The 13-member Indian delegation included Rail ministry additional member (traffic) Kundan Sinha and Eastern Railway chief operation manager SK Das, according to a news agency.