PM Modi, Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina to jointly inaugurate cross-border rail project on 1 November

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina will jointly inaugurate the Agartala-Akhaura Cross Border Rail Link Project on Wednesday. A report by PTI quoted officials saying that PM Modi and the Bangladesh Prime Minister will launch the key cross-border railway project at 11 am in a virtual ceremony. The 15-km rail link (5 km in India and 10 km in Bangladesh) will boost cross-border trade and significantly reduce the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka, the officials said. The trial run of the project will take place at noon (12 pm) on Monday. It encompasses one major bridge and three minor bridges. At present, it takes about 31 hours to reach Kolkata from Agartala by train, which will be reduced to just 10 hours, an official said. The Indian Railways had allocated Rs 153.84 crore from its budget to expedite the project work, he added. With inputs from PTI