A cross-border train link, the first between northeast India and the neighbouring country, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.
The opening of the Agartala-Akhaura cross-border rail link, which connects Bangladesh and India, was hailed by Prime Minister Modi as a "historic" occasion. Recalling the land boundary agreement and the resolution of the maritime boundary, the PM also informed Hasina, who is running for reelection in January, that the kind of work that has been done between the two countries in the last nine years had not occurred in decades earlier.
“India takes pride in the fact that it’s the number one development partner of Bangladesh. The list of our achievements is so long that we can spend an entire day talking about it,” said Modi.
The other two projects inaugurated by Modi and Hasina are the 65-km KhulnaMongla port rail line, and Unit 2 of the Maitree super thermal power plant in Bangladesh’s Rampal. “The joint inauguration of these important projects shows that we have a strong bond of friendship and collaboration... I also thank PM Modi for the warm hospitality during my visit in September for the G20 Summit,” said Hasina.
India had given Bangladesh a grant of Rs 392.5 crore for the Agarta la-Akhaura train line. A 65-kilometer broad gauge link was built as part of the Khulna-Mongla port rail line to connect Bangladesh's Mongla Port to the city's already-existing rail system.