Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express train may restart if India wants

The Maitree Express train connecting Dhaka in Bangladesh to Kolkata in West Bengal may resume only after India makes a formal request through diplomatic channels, according to a senior Bangladesh Railway official, as the new service would take a shorter route via Padma Bridge instead of the previous lengthy route across the Jamuna river.

“If they [India] send a proposal, the government will consider the matter,” said Al Fattah Md Masudur Rahman, additional director-general at Bangladesh Railway.

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He, however, said no decision has been taken to resume the service so far.

The Maitree Express was launched in April 2008 to provide passenger rail connectivity between Bangladesh and India. It became popular among Bangladeshi passengers travelling to India, particularly for medical treatment and tourism.

Before India suspended the service in July 2024 amid the uprising, the Maitree Express ran from Dhaka Cantonment Railway Station through Tangail, the Jamuna Bridge, Ishwardi and Darsana. The 392km journey from Dhaka to Kolkata used to take about seven hours and 45 minutes.

Indian authorities in September proposed that the train use a new route via the Padma Bridge, Jashore and Benapole. The shorter route could cut travel time to about six hours, while the fare is estimated to fall by about Tk 1,000 per ticket.

However, these are projections and would depend on the final route, timetable and operational arrangements.

Apart from the Maitree Express, services of two other trains, Bandhan Express and Mitali Express, have also been suspended between the two neighbours since 2024.

Bangladesh Railway Additional Director-General Masudur said Bangladesh Railway did not suspend the services. Rather, the Indian authorities suspended them.

He said that if the Maitree Express resumes via the Padma Bridge, immigration clearance would continue at Dhaka Cantonment Railway Station.

The Maitree Express previously departed from Dhaka Cantonment, where immigration formalities were completed for passengers travelling in both directions.

“The necessary arrangements for immigration are already there. If we do it at Kamalapur Railway Station, a new setup would be required,” he said.

To run the train via the Padma Bridge, it would have to pass through Kamalapur before joining the new railway line towards the bridge.

In September, the proposal to run the Maitree Express through the Padma Bridge was discussed at a meeting between railway authorities from Bangladesh and India. But India has yet to send a formal proposal.

Following the three-day Inter-Governmental Railway Meeting, Railway Ministry Additional Secretary Ziaul Haque said on September 10 that Bangladesh would review the matter if India formally proposed restarting the services.

Ziaul said Indian delegates had proposed discussions on operating the Maitree Express through the Padma Bridge, but no formal proposal had been submitted.

He also said the proposed route would require assessment of several technical and operational issues, including route capacity, train movement arrangements, turning facilities, fare adjustments and immigration procedures.

Bangladesh Railway data show that 288,360 passengers travelled on the Maitree Express from fiscal year 2022-23 till July 19, 2024. About 95 percent of them were Bangladeshis.

Average occupancy was between 80 and 85 percent, rising above 95 percent during the Eid and Durga Puja holidays.

Bangladesh Railway received 75 percent of the apportioned earnings from the service under the cross-border passenger train arrangement, with the remaining 25 percent going to Indian Railways.