Dhaka-Calcutta train link resumes

More Bangladeshis than Indians are expected to use the service

The passenger train service between Calcutta in India and the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, is resuming after an absence of more than 40 years.

The service was suspended in 1965 following that year's war between India and Pakistan, of which Bangladesh was the eastern province.

Bangladesh gained independence in 1971 but the two countries only agreed to resume the train link in 2001.

The train has been dubbed the Maitreyi, or Friendship, Express.

One service is leaving Dhaka on Bengali New Year's Day on Monday for the inaugural 500km (310 mile) run to Calcutta, with another train running in the opposite direction.

The direct bus to Dhaka is expensive, air travel is beyond my reach, but the train should be fine Rakhal Das, Calcutta In pictures: New rail link

Bangladesh and India's West Bengal state used to form united Bengal and many people on both sides of the border share a common language and have relatives on the other side.

With one-way tickets starting from $8 (£4), it is expected to be popular with Bangladeshis visiting family, looking for work, shopping or seeking medical treatment in their wealthier neighbour.

One man in Calcutta, however, is hoping to return to Dhaka after leaving the city on what turned out to be the last train out in 1965, when he was nine years old.

"The direct bus to Dhaka is expensive, air travel is beyond my reach, but the train should be fine," Rakhal Das, now 54, told the BBC.

Bilateral relations were dogged by suspicion and rivalry for many years even though India helped Bangladesh win its independence from Pakistan, says our correspondent.

"The agreement will strengthen bilateral relations and provide an alternative mode of passenger transport," an Indian government statement said.

Disagreements over security arrangements delayed the implementation of the rail link after the two countries signed an agreement in 2001.

A passenger coach and freight trains already run between the two countries.

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