After a gap of two years, the train services of Maitree Express and Bandhan Express between India and Bangladesh resumed today.
The train services between the two countries were suspended since March 2020 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bandhan Express travels between Kolkata and Khulna, Bangladesh while Maitree Express connects Kolkata with Dhaka.
Bandhan Express departed from Kolkata station at 7.10 am on Sunday.
Farooq, a passenger said, "We like the journey since it is very comfortable. This train is very convenient for us to travel between India and Bangladesh. We are happy that the service is resumed. We are residents of Khulna. We come to Kolkata for the treatment of my wife who is a cancer patient."
"We want the relations between India and Bangladesh to strengthen further. Passengers come from Bangladesh mainly for tourism, medical, and purchasing purposes. Since it's the first day, the passenger traffic is low. Only 19 passengers were on Bandhan Express on the first day and around 100 passengers were on Maitree Express," said HN Gangopadhyay, PRO and Assistant Commercial Manager, Eastern Railway Sealdah.
The Railways also said the operation of New Jalpaiguri-Dhaka Mitali Express is set to start from June 1.
Notably, the operation of Mitali Express did not start despite being virtually inaugurated in March 2021.
( With inputs from ANI )
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