Why in the News?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually inaugurated a rail link connecting Northeast India with Bangladesh.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About Akhaura-Agartala Rail Link (Route, Funding Pattern, Significance, etc.)

About Akhaura-Agartala Rail Link:

• Akhaura–Agartala line is a railway line between India and Bangladesh.
• Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two Governments in 2013. The project was launched in 2016.
• It links Bangladesh's Akhaura, through an international immigration station at Nischintapur, to the outskirts of Agartala, capital of Tripura.
• The length of the rail link is 12.24 km with a 6.78 km Dual Gauge rail line in Bangladesh and 5.46 km in Tripura.
• This railway link is part of the 16 transit routes that have been declared allowing cargo transportation from Chattogram or Mongla port, in Bangladesh, to Indian states.
• Funding Pattern:
  • The project is wholly funded by the Government of India.
  • The Ministry for Development of North East Region (DoNER) funded the work on the Indian side while Ministry of External Affairs funded the expense for Bangladesh’s side.

Significance of the Project:

• Tripura shares an 856 km-long international border with Bangladesh.
• The state’s only road connectivity with the rest of the country is through Assam and a narrow strip of land in West Bengal’s Siliguri.
• The 12.24-km rail link project will significantly reduce the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka.
• At present, the rail route from Agartala to Kolkata is around 1600 kilometers and takes 38 hours. It passes through Guwahati, Assam.
• With the successful completion of the Akhaura–Agartala line, the travel time will be reduced to roughly 10 hours.
  • The distance between Agartala and Kolkata will effectively reduce from 1,600 km to 500 km now.
• The rail link will also enable goods trains to reach the north eastern region via Bangladesh at a much lesser transportation cost.
• Further, it will also provide a direct access between landlocked north eastern India and Chittagong port of Bangladesh.