AGARTALA, July 30 (TIWN): Along with the inauguration of Agartala- Delhi express train service, Union Railway Minster will also lay the foundation stone for the Indo-Bangla rail link on Sunday.

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu will lay the foundation stone for a new India-Bangladesh railway project and flag-off the Agartala to New Delhi passenger train service on July 31.

The Rs 968 crore Agartala-Akhaura railway project was finalised in January 2010 when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi.

Following the Tripura government’s persistent persuasion and intervention by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) ministry has agreed to provide Rs 580 crore for the new railway project.

The DoNER ministry recently released Rs 150 crore to start the necessary work for acquisition of 67 acres of land for the project, he said.

The minister said the 15 km (5 km on Indian side and 10 km on Bangladesh side) long Agartala-Akhaura railway project would provide a major boost to the development and economy of the north-eastern region of India and eastern Bangladesh.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has done the preliminary work for the project.

India’s External Affairs Ministry would provide the necessary funds for the Bangladesh portion of the Agartala to Akhaura rail project. The DoNER ministry’s funds would be spent for the Indian portion of the project, the minister said.

The 1,650-km distance between Agartala and Kolkata would be reduced to only 550 km once the new rail track is linked through Bangladesh.

Currently, India and Bangladesh have four rail links with West Bengal.

The railway line from Guwahati passes through Lumding in Nagaon district in central Assam and southern Assam connecting land-locked Agartala, parts of Manipur and Mizoram with the rest of India.

The Guwahati-Silchar railway line is the lifeline for southern Assam comprising four districts – Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Dima Hasao, known as Barak Valley and the mountainous states of Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur.

These states are heavily dependent on this railway line for supply of foodgrains, fertilisers, petroleum products, construction material and other commodities besides ferrying passengers.

An agreement to implement the railway project was signed between India’s former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina during her visit to India in January 2010.

The Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON) would lay the new railway tracks on both sides of the border. Of the 15 km rail line, five km of tracks fall in the Indian Territory.