New track, Agartala-Bangaladesh

INDIA TODAY ONLINE  NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 3, 2012 

Indian Railway to build a 15-km track linking Agartala with Bangladesh

A railway link between Tripura capital Agartala and Bangladesh's southeastern city of Akhaurah would soon come into a reality, as the neighbouring nations are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) soon.

According to reports, India will build a 15-km railway track linking Agartala with Akhaurah which is an important railway junction connected to the Chittagong international port, resource-rich Sylhet and Dhaka.

The project worth Rs.271 crore will have a five km of track in the Indian territory and the remaining in Bangladesh.

The new railway project to connect the two neighbouring countries was decided by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina during her visit to India in January 2010.

Surface connectivity is an important factor as the landlocked northeastern states are surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China and the only land route to these states from within India is through Assam and West Bengal. But this route passes through over 70 percent hilly terrain with steep roads and multiple hairpin bends.

For ferrying goods and heavy machinery to the northeast from abroad and other parts of the country, India has for long been seeking land, sea and rail access through Bangladesh.

Agartala, for instance, is 1,650 km from Kolkata and 2,637 km from New Delhi via Guwahati and West Bengal, whereas the distance between the Tripura capital and Kolkata through Bangladesh is just about 350 km.

The NFR is now laying tracks to connect Tripura's southern most border town Sabroom, 135 km south of here. From Sabroom, the Chittagong international sea port is just 72 km.

With IANS Inputs