A new train service is being launched to strengthen the friendship between India and Bangladesh. The train will operate between the historic silk production centre Rajshahi in Bangladesh and Kolkata. The train service between Rajshahi-Kolkata is resuming after a gap of 77 years. The announcement was made following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina in Delhi recently. This is the fourth international train between India and Bangladesh, following the Kolkata-Dhaka 'Maitri Express', Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan Express, and New Jalpaiguri-Dhaka Mithali Express.
The resumption of the Rajshahi-Kolkata train service will greatly benefit the people of North Bangladesh and the Rajshahi Division. Many in Bangladesh believe the new train will facilitate easier travel and enhance communication links with India. The new train is expected to increase the importance of Rajshahi in Bangladesh's communication with India, Nepal, and Bhutan and make Rajshahi a hub for trade and commerce. Before the India-Pakistan Partition in 1947, there was a Rajshahi-Kolkata train service. Hundreds of patients from Rajshahi travel to India for treatment every day. The train will also be useful for traders who regularly travel to Kolkata, the capital of Bengal, and other states.
