Both the prime ministers will relaunch rail communications between Chilahati in Bangladesh and Haldibari in India's West Bengal on December 17, an official of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said on Thursday, reports Hindustan Times. NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Subhanan Chanda said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate Haldibari-Chilahati rail route on December 17." He said a cargo train will run from Chilahati to Haldibari, which is under the Katihar division of the NFR, to mark the opening of the route. Katihar Divisional Railway Manager Ravinder Kumar Verma said the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday informed the authorities of the decision to reopen the rail route. Both Haldibari and Chilahati stations were on the old broad gauge railway route between Siliguri and Kolkata that went through areas in present-day Bangladesh.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 11, 2020 09:33 UTC