The construction work of the rail line connecting Tripura’s capital Agartala and Akhaura in Bangladesh is expected to be completed by September, according to Tripura Food, Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury. He informed that 85 percent of the physical work on the 12.5 kilometers long rail line on the Indian side has been completed, while 73 percent physical work on the Bangladesh side has also been completed.
Furthermore, the consultancy project to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the development of Agartala as an international railway station has been awarded, and the foundation stone for the construction work is expected to be laid down in the next two to three months. Once the railway services are launched, the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka will be reduced from 31 hours to 10 hours, providing a significant reduction in travel time for this important route.
Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) G Kishan Reddy recently visited Tripura on April 11 to inspect the Agartala-Akhaura New Rail Link Project and held meetings with IRCON officials to review the progress of the work. The Ministry of Development of North East Region is funding the railway line from Agartala to Nischintapur, while the Ministry of External Affairs is funding the rail line from Nischintapur to Gangasagar in Bangladesh.
