STATE : The dream trial run of the Akhaura-Agartala rail link was conducted on Monday. It was the first time that the locomotive engine attached to four wagons entered the Indian territory of Tripura.

Before entering the Indian side of Nischintpur near Agartala, the BSF personnel carried out the screening of the engine and attached wagons to it.

The project is significant from an international as well as from a domestic point of view. Currently, the rail route from Agartala to Kolkata is around 1600 kilometres and takes about 38 hours.

The footfall of passengers from Agartala to Kolkata is significantly very high due to the linguistic similarity between the two states. Both states also share age-old cultural and business relations, and Agartala depends on Kolkata from the medical tourism point of view as well.

Upon operationalisation of the Agartala-Akhaura Rail link project, the distance will be reduced by around 500 kilometres, and the travel time will be 16 hours between Agartala and Kolkata. In addition, this rail link will also provide direct access between landlocked North-Eastern India and the Chittagong port of Bangladesh.

According to reports by PTI, The prime ministers of the two neighbouring countries will launch the Agartala-Akhaura Cross Border Rail Link Project at 11 a.m. in a virtual ceremony. (AIR/PTI)