DHAKA: Bangladesh and India plan to resume cross-border train operations through the Maitree, Mitali and Bandhan Express trains by Oct and the annual meeting of railway authorities of the two countries beginning Tuesday will work in that direction, officials have said.Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s govt on Aug 5, 2024, and the resulting political change, normalcy has gradually returned to Bangladesh. However, passenger train services between Bangladesh and India have not resumed – the suspension of the Maitree, Bandhan and Mitali Express services was officially announced on July 19, 2024.The two-day meeting between the railway authorities of the two neighbours will begin in Dhaka on Tuesday, Bangladesh railway sources said. “We don’t only share borders, we share dreams. I am repeating the same thing – people-to-people relationships are important, and we are absolutely confident that at the right time (the PM’s visit will take place). The Prime Minister of Bangladesh has a standing invitation, and he knows it,” Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said on Monday.In addition to restarting the three trains, Bangladesh will propose launching a new train service from Rajshahi to Kolkata. Bangladesh is interested in operating Maitree Express between Dhaka and Kolkata via the Padma Bridge, which was opened during the Sheikh Hasina era. Until now, the train has operated via the Jamuna Bridge.
