Agartala, May 12, 2023: The much awaited Agartala (Tripura) – Akhaura (Bangladesh) new railway track is visible as two and a half kilometres of railway track has been laid from zero point in the part of Bangladesh while about four kilometres to be done soon.

The project construction company has claimed that it is possible to lay the railway line at the scheduled time in this section. But seeing the speed of the work, many people said, this time too there is doubt about the completion of the work on time.

On September 10, 2018, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Agartala-Akhaura new railway link project through video conference. The duration of the 18-month project has been extended for the fourth phase. Accordingly, this period will also end in July this year.

Indian construction company, TEXMACO Rail and Engineering Limited is working on the project in Bangladesh side. The TEXMACO Construction company’s Survey Engineer Ripon Sheikh, however, claimed that the work would be completed on time as 85 percent of the work is completed. He said that almost two and a half kilometres of railway lines have been laid. The rest of the area is covered with stones. However, the officials of Bangladesh Railways related to the project say that the speed of work was slow from the beginning. At the current pace, the work will not be completed on time.

There will be a new dual gauge railway line from Gangasagar railway station in Akhaura, Bangladesh to Nishchintpur in Agartala. This area is ten and a half kilometres long. Here six kilometres part is in Bangladesh. The remaining four and a half kilometres are in the Agartala section. Initially the project was 15 kilometres. Although the five kilometres area was reduced, the work speed remained in slow pace.

This project will play a very important role in increasing the relationship and rail communication between the two neighboring countries. There is no doubt about this. If this dual gauge railway construction project is implemented, goods and passenger trains will be able to run from Kolkata to Agartala via Akhaura. Those concerned think that rail communication will be established between Bangladesh and India’s north-eastern states through this.

But in the beginning, cargo trains will run on this railway.