Delhi has put forward a proposal to resume operations of passenger trains between India and Bangladesh on March 26, following a near two-year suspension because of the pandemic.
The Indian Railway recently made the proposal following the Bangladesh Railway's letter to resume the operations, according to media reports.
The Bangladesh side will now take a decision after holding a meeting soon, Bangladesh Railway Additional Director General Sardar Shahadat Ali told a Dhaka-based English daily.
The possible resumption of Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree and Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan train services is part of a series of steps being taken to boost bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries.
Both the trains would operate according to their old schedules, an Indian Railway official told News18.
Maitree Express re-established the rail link between Dhaka and Kolkata in 2008 after being closed for 43 years.
Later, in 2017, the authorities inaugurated Bandhan Express, recreating the previous Barisal Express route linking the city of Khulna to Kolkata.
Before the pandemic, Maitree Express operated for five days a week, travelling around 400km for a little less than 10 hours to reach Kolkata from Dhaka.
Bandhan Express covers a distance of about 172km to reach Kolkata from Khulna in 4-6 hours.
