India and Bangladesh are all set to begin the home secretary level talks for resumption of the direct passenger rail service between Kolkata and Dhaka.
"The talks are scheduled to commence within a couple of days with the visit of Bangladesh home secretary, SM Jahurul Islam to India", A E Ahmed, additional secretary, ministry of home affairs, told the media.
The train service will resume soon after the signing of the necessary agreement between India and Bangladesh.
The agreement will be signed once the two countries have successfully addressed the issues of security and infrastructure.
"Both countries are firm on addressing the security concerns so that the train service does not run into disrepute. Bangladesh, on its part, has to develop infrastructure at the Darshana station, where they intend to start customs and immigration services", Ahmed claimed.
Running cross border train service involves a host of sensitivities, he warned.
He stressed on the need to build an additional platform as well as a terminal at Gede railway station on the Indo-Bangladesh border.
"We are hopeful of addressing all infrastructure related issues before Ramadan(mid September). Both countries have succeded in ironing out most of the issues to operationalise the train service", said A T K M Ismail, additional secretary of the ministry of communication of Bangladesh.
Both countries will share revenues in the ratio of 75:25, depending on the distance tarvelled by the train in each country.
The coaches of the train have been imported from Indonesia.
The train, which will have 6 bogies in all, can carry 300 passengers.
Its frequency will hinge on the available infrastructure.
The fare for the journey varies from $8 to $20, excluding the value added tax.
The passenger rail service, most likely to be christened 'Moitree Express'(friendship train) will cover a distance of 416 km between Kolkata and Dhaka.
The resumption of direct rail service between the two destinations will help passengers who now have to alight at Gede Railway Station in India and walk 3km to catch a connecting train from the Darshana railway station in Bangladesh.
The train service between India and Bangladesh was suspended during the 1965 Indo-Pak War.
