Ten years after India and Bangladesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the first Indo-Bangla international railway connectivity in Northeast India in 2013, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the Agartala-Akhaura project on November 1, 2023.
The inauguration took place virtually, with PM Modi joining from New Delhi and Premier Hasina participating from Dhaka.
This project is poised to bring new opportunities for connectivity, transit, and trade, particularly benefiting the geographically isolated state of Tripura. In his inaugural address, Prime Minister Modi mentioned his government’s accomplishment in signing the long-awaited Indo-Bangla Land Boundary Agreement, settling the maritime boundary dispute, and emphasising infrastructure development and enhanced connectivity between the two nations.
About The Project
- Akhaura served as a railway link for Agartala during the British colonial era.
- In 2012-13, the Agartala-Akhaura rail link project was sanctioned.
- The project’s initial cost was around Rs 862.58 crore, but the final cost is likely to be higher due to pandemic-related delays and land acquisition issues.
- The entire project was funded by the Indian government.
- The Ministry of External Affairs covered the cost from Nischintapur to Gangasagar, while the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region funded the stretch from Agartala railway station to Nischintapur.
- The railway link extends 12.24 km, including a 5.46 km dual gauge line in India and 6.7 km in Bangladesh.
- It connects Akhuara in Bangladesh’s Brahmanbaria district to Nischintapur, India’s last railway station along the Indo-Bangla border.
- The Indian Railway Construction International Limited (IRCON), a PSU under the Indian Railways, completed the work on the Indian side of the project.
- Texmaco handled the work on the Bangladesh side.
- A total of 86.85 acres of land was acquired for the project on the Indian side and given to IRCON.
Significance Of The Rail Project
- Tripura is located along an 856-km border with Bangladesh.
- Currently, Tripura connects to the rest of India through a single road route via Assam and a narrow strip in West Bengal’s Siliguri, known as the “Chicken’s Neck”.
- A new 15-km rail link promises to drastically cut the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka.
- The existing route from Agartala to Kolkata is lengthy– 1,600 kilometers, encompassing northern Bengal and Assam’s Guwahati before turning south towards Tripura. This journey takes 31 hours.
- The new railway line is expected to reduce the travel time to 10 to 12 hours.
- This shorter route will appeal to those from Tripura previously deterred by the lengthy journey to Kolkata. It will also be beneficial for Bangladeshi residents wishing to travel to India.
- The new rail route will be advantageous for goods trains, offering a more cost-effective method of reaching the northeast via Bangladesh.
- The route also establishes a direct link between Tripura and Bangladesh’s Chittagong port.
HIRA Model Of Development
- The central government advocates for the ‘HIRA’ development model to boost the pace of development in the north-eastern states.
- The HIRA model stands for Highways, i-ways, railways, and airways.
- The recent Indo-Bangla railway service is a real-world implementation of the HIRA model.
- The purpose of the HIRA model is to enhance connectivity within the north-eastern region.
- This model aims to connect all north-eastern states to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Nepal.
- This will be achieved through efficient land, water, and air routes.
- Tripura, due to the Maitri-Setu Bridge, India-Bangladesh Shipping Agreement, and Indo-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT), is poised to become a gateway to the north-eastern region of India.