Bangladesh and India are planning to resume cross-border passenger train services by October 2026.

Railway officials said the three major routes are expected to resume operations after being suspended for more than two years.

The services covered by the planned resumption are the Maitree Express between Dhaka and Kolkata, the Mitali Express and the Bandhan Express.

Passenger train operations between the two countries were suspended on 19 July 2024, shortly before the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on 5 August.

Railway authorities from Bangladesh and India are due to hold a two-day annual meeting in Dhaka starting Tuesday, where officials will discuss arrangements for restarting the services.

Bangladesh is also expected to propose a new passenger train service linking Rajshahi with Kolkata during the meeting, according to officials.

The country is further seeking to reroute the Maitree Express through the Padma Bridge instead of the Jamuna Bridge, which has historically been used by the service.

The Padma Bridge, which opened during Hasina’s tenure, is expected to be a key issue in discussions on the future routing of the Maitree Express.

Source : Times of India.