Historic rail link opens between India and Bangladesh
Wednesday, 16 Apr 2008 10:12
A new rail service between the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka to Calcutta in India was launched this week and the first such train journey since 1965 was greeted with much excitement and some security hassles.
The last train between the two Bengals was during the India-Pakistan war 42 years ago and the new "Friendship Train" was launched on the Bengali New Year's Day.
It took around three hours to process 65 passengers through customs and immigration at the border but the service was fully booked and looks set to be popular.
Officials have pointed to the political benefits of the train, promoting interaction between India and Bangladesh, the BBC reports.
The train takes 14 hours to travel between Calcutta and Dhaka but is more comfortable than the bus and significantly less expensive than flying.
Click
here to see a video of the inaugural journey of the Maitree Express.