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The service, suspended during the Indo-Pakistan 1965 war, will roll out on April 14, the Bengali New Year Day.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is slated to flag off the much-awaited Indo-Bangla Maitree Express from Kolkata on April 14. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is also likely to be present on the occasion.
In a run-up to the flag-off, the sale of tickets for the passenger service began today. The counter, thrown open to the public at 10 am, closed at 5 pm. The sale of tickets will continue on Saturday and Sunday.
To facilitate the procurement of visa, the office of the Deputy High Commission for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kolkata will remain open tomorrow. “Despite Saturday being a weekly-off, we have decided to keep the office open tomorrow. This is a special arrangement to help travellers in the first run of the Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka train,” a notice from the Deputy High Commission stated.
The Maitri Express service is all set to achieve a series of unique distinctions, including the one of being the first “truly” international train service from India.
What makes this train truly international is the fact that passengers boarding it from Kolkata and Dhaka will have to buy a single composite ticket for the journey and will not have to change trains in between, unlike the two trains India currently operates to Pakistan — the Samjhauta Express and the Thar Express.
The Maitri Express will usher in a new system.
“From the Indian side, the train will depart from Kolkata and will have only one stop at Gede station for customs and immigration check, after which it will run non-stop till Dhaka. Passengers will travel on a single ticket and will return to their original seats after getting down at Gede for checks,” said a senior Indian Railways official said. The train will run on Saturdays and Sundays and will take about 12-hours to reach Dhaka.
Another interesting fact about the upcoming train service is that passengers will end up paying fares for a total distance of 538 kilometres while the actual distance between Kolkata and Dhaka is only 397 kilometres. “The extra fare is meant to compensate for the two new bridges — the Bangabandhu Setu or the Jamuna Bridge and the Sara Bridge on Padma river on the Bangladesh side. It is a kind of toll tax levied on the passengers,” an official said.
The Bangladesh Government will earn 75 per cent of the revenues as only 115 kilometres of the total distance falls on the Indian side.
The Indian Railways rake will have 7 coaches with a seating capacity of 368 people with one AC First Class coach, one AC chair car coach, two non-AC chair cars, two second class sleeper coaches and a pantry car.
its a good start but safety is concern as it will give terrorist easy way to come india. security must be strict and each and every passenger must be checked.If you can check every person travelling in plane then why not in train and which is going to travel outside india.
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