Indian, Bangladeshi Railways Meet to Revive Suspended Trains; New Projects on Table

At the two-day Inter-Governmental Railway Meeting (IGRM) starting Tuesday in Dhaka, Indian and Bangladeshi railway authorities will discuss restarting the Maitree, Mitali, and Bandhan Express trains suspended since 2024 due to security concerns. If resolved, services could resume next month. Bangladesh also proposes a new Rajshahi-Kolkata train and re-routing the Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express via Padma Bridge. Freight transport and stalled projects are on the agenda, along with India supplying 19 LHB broad-gauge passenger coaches to Bangladesh under a Rs 915 crore deal expected to be completed by December 2027.