Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said that the Maitri Setu in South Tripura and the Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) rail link will become operational very soon, reported PTI.
The Maitri Setu, constructed over the Feni River, connects South Tripura’s Sabroom with Bangladesh’s Ramgarh. It was jointly inaugurated on March 9, 2021, along with the Agartala-Nischintapur segment (the Indian portion of the Agartala-Akhaura rail link), which was inaugurated on November 1, 2023, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina. However, both connectivity projects are yet to be made operational.
What more did Saha say?
Saha, on Friday, said that the Maitri Setu will become operational soon. According to him, the trial of the Agartala-Akhaura railway link has been finished and with this it will also be operational soon, adding that Tripura has garnered the attention of many investors. “The future of Tripura is bright. After the rail connectivity is established, we will be able to reach Kolkata in a short period,” he added.
Anil Kumar Khandelwal, Member of Infrastructure, Railway Board, inspected the Nischintapur railyard (the Indian section of Agartala-Akhaura) on May 15 to review the ongoing work. The construction work on the Agartala-Akhaura railway project is nearly complete. Train services will be operational following discussions between both countries, he informed.
According to a report by PTI, Debasish Nandi, Manager of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) in Agartala said, they are prepared to open the Maitri Setu by initiating passenger movement in the first phase. “All necessary facilities including immigration have been put in place at Sabroom Land Custom Station (LCS). The goods movement can be flagged off later. The final date of the beginning of passenger movement will be taken by Delhi and Dhaka,” he stated.