Agartala-Akhaura Railway Link will strengthen the bond between India, Bangladesh: Tripura CM

Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr Manik Saha stated on November 1, that the inauguration of the Agartala-Akhaura Railway Link Project will further strengthen the bond between India and Bangladesh, and Tripura will serve as the gateway for tourism.

After attending the virtual inauguration of the Agartala-Akhaura Railway Link Project by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, the Chief Minister said, 'Tripura is poised to become the tourism gateway, not only due to the Agartala-Akhaura Railway Link, but also because the distance between Agartala and Kolkata will decrease from 1600 km to 500 km by rail. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's HIRA Model is set to be implemented. PM Modi has also laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the country, including 91 in the Northeast, including three in Tripura.'

He mentioned that three railway stations, Dharmanagar, Kumarghat, and Kailashahar, have been included under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for redevelopment, with an expenditure of approximately Rs 96.60 crore.

'Apart from this, plans have been made to transform the Agartala Railway station into an international standard facility, for which Rs 245 crore will be allocated. In 2014, when PM Modi began working on enhancing connectivity in the Northeast, a development that hadn't happened since independence, Tripura was finally connected with mainstream India. We now have 19 trains, including 13 express trains, 5 DEMU trains, and one local train,' Saha added.

He also mentioned that railway connectivity started developing in 2016, and now Tripura is linked with the rest of India.

'The length of the Agartala-Akhaura railway link is 12.24 km, with 5.46 km in Tripura and 6.76 km in Bangladesh. A total of Rs 972 crore was sanctioned, with Rs 580 crore allocated for the Indian portion and Rs 392 crore for the Bangladeshi portion. IRCON is handling the Indian side, while TEXAMACO is working on the Bangladesh side. This initiative will further strengthen the ties between both countries,' Saha concluded".