Bangladesh and India began discussions on bilateral rail connectivity issues on Tuesday, with both sides showing a positive outlook on resuming suspended train services.
A 15-member Bangladesh delegation comprising officials from Ministry of Railways and Bangladesh Railway is attending the three-day India-Bangladesh intergovernmental Railway Meeting (IGRM), which began at Rail Bhaban.
A nine-member Indian delegation comprising officials from Indian Railways, India’s ministries of external affairs and railways is led by Deepak Kumar Jha, Additional Member (Traffic) of Indian Railways.
Additional Secretary M Ziaul Haque is leading the Bangladesh delegation.
Official sources said both sides were sincere about restarting the Maitree, Mitali and Bandhan Express train services between India and Bangladesh.
The IGRM is an annual bilateral forum where railway authorities and ministry representatives from both countries meet to discuss and decide on cross-border train operations, rail infrastructure projects and freight transit.
The last IGRM was held in India with no progress on resuming passenger train services and freight transits. All three passenger services were suspended following the student-led movement that ousted the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, 2024.
Indian media reported about a resolution calling for the resumption of the three cross-border train services originating from Kolkata and New Jalpaiguri as early as next month.
The reports also said that, alongside Bangladesh's interest in resuming the three services, a proposal to launch another passenger train service between Rajshahi and Kolkata would be on the agenda.
Bangladesh also plans to propose re-routing the Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express via the Padma Bridge instead of its current route. The service was launched in April 2008.
