AGARTALA (Metro Rail News): The Railway Ministry has recently approved an allocation of Rs 153.84 crores to complete the Agartala-Akhaura railway line project, connecting India’s Tripura with Bangladesh. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 862.58 crores, and it is expected to be operational by the end of this year or early next year.
According to Sabyasachi De, Chief Public Relations Officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), the project is funded by the Ministry of DONER (Development of North Eastern Region). Approximately Rs 708.74 crores of the anticipated cost have already been provided and utilized.
Moreover, the improved connectivity will facilitate faster import and export of commodities, empowering local producers to reach international markets more efficiently.
In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of the ‘Act East Policy’ and ‘Neighborhood First Policy,’ Indian Railways has been actively executing various railway line projects to connect neighbouring countries. The Agartala-Akhaura international connectivity rail line project is an important initiative strengthening relations between India and Bangladesh.
The railway line, which stretches 15.064 kilometres (5.05 kilometres in India and 10.014 kilometres in Bangladesh), connects Akhaura, Bangladesh, to Nischintapur, an international immigration station outskirts of Agartala.
The station will serve as a dual gauge facility for passenger and goods interchange between nations. The project includes the construction of one major bridge and three minor bridges, ensuring smooth and efficient operations.
Once the Agartala-Akhaura railway project is completed, the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka is expected to reduce drastically from approximately 31 hours to just 10 hours.
NFR officials in Agartala expressed their satisfaction with the project’s progress, noting that over 90 per cent of the work on the Indian side has already been completed.
