Till date, India was connected with Nepal and Bangladesh by air and by road but commuters and travel enthusiasts will soon be able to avail these countries by train with all the exciting initiatives of the upcoming rail projects taken by the Northeast Frontier Railways or the NFR which is responsible for operating railways and executing projects in the North Eastern States that links the nation to Bangladesh and Nepal. The operations of this initiative are expected to begin in the next upcoming 9 months and a total of 967.5 crore INR is to be invested in the project with a hope to cut down on Travel Time. Currently in charge of executing 2 international railway projects, the NFR has included the new 18.6 km long railway line from Jogbani in Bihar to Biratnagar in Nepal and the 12.03 km long railway line stretching from Agartala in West Bengal to Akhaura in Bangladesh. With an estimation of 967.5 crores, this Jogbani-Nepal project is hoped to be completed by the end of September 2022 but the Agartala-Bangladesh project is already nearing its completion.
It is strange to think that it took more than 55 years for the Rail link between Bengal and Bangladesh to revive and resume but the work of these exclusive railway projects have been carried on a full fledged swing and due to these, the landlocked northeastern states will have better exposure to tourism and connectivity with its neighbours. Alongside promoting tourism and easing travel options for frequent commuters of this line, the Agartala- Akhaura international railway line will also facilitate an easier method of ferrying goods to and from both the countries which will cut down on import-export rates as the complexity of distance and time will significantly be reduced due to the railways.
