After four decades, the train services between Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Kolkata (India) has started in the Bangla New Year’s Day (April 14, 2008). The name of the train services is “Maitree” (Friendship). The capacity of the train is 418 passengers with 36 AC cabin, 80 AC chair and 302 non-AC chair. The total journey is 538km, in which 418km in Bangladesh and 120km in India.

Passenger train service between Dhaka and Kolkata was introduced during the British rule. But in March 1965 the service has snapped due to India-Pakistan war. In 2001, thirty years after liberation of Bangladesh, government of Bangladesh and India signed a five-year deal to resume direct train service, it was not implemented. Then Bangladesh and India signed a supplementary agreement clearing the way for cross-border run of trains on Dhaka-Kolkata route. On its continuation the train services starts in Bangla New Year’s Day.

The people on both sides of the border waited with bated breath and animated suspense to see the historic moment. All TV channels of Kolkata live telecast this historic moment. This historic moment also gets sufficient importance to all news papers and TV channels of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (Touriest Department of Bangladesh Government) welcomed the travelers of Maitree Train through dance, songs and sprinkling of petals.

But few organization of India is not happy in this moment. They tried to make terrorist attack by bombs, but Indian police found those bombs only eight feet away from rail tracks near Bankimnagar station on Ranaghat-Gede line in the Indian state of West Bengal. The bombs were defused immediately.

We hope success of the train services.