Modi, Hasina to flag off trial run of new Indo-Bangla train

India and Bangladesh are all set to have a new passenger train link with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina flagging off the trial run of a train from Khulna to Kolkata on Saturday.
"The trial run of the train from Khulna to Kolkata will be flagged off jointly by the Prime Minister of India and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from Benapole through video link from New Delhi at 12.30 PM on April 8," Eastern Railway spokesperson R N Mahapatra said here today.
Regular service between the Kolkata station and Khulna in Bangladesh will commence from July, Railway officials said.

Immigration formalities for passengers of the train, when regular services are introduced, will be done at the originating stations and not at the border crossing, thus reducing lot of travel time, Mahapatra said.
This will ensure hassle-free journey for passengers, making train travel between the two neighbouring countries more comfortable, he said.
India and its eastern neighbour are at present connected by air, rail and roads.
Direct train and bus facilities are now extended only to Bangladesh capital Dhaka from Kolkata and Agartala in Tripura.
The Maitree Express runs four days a week between Kolkata and Dhaka at present, Mahapatra said.