India proposes rerouting Maitree Express via Padma Bridge as Bangladesh weighs restart

India has proposed resuming the suspended Maitree Express through Bangladesh’s Padma Bridge, a route that could cut travel time by up to three hours.

The proposal came as the two countries held their first detailed railway talks on restoring cross-border passenger services after a nearly two-year suspension.

Bangladesh, however, said it would examine the plan only after receiving a formal proposal from India through diplomatic channels, with technical constraints and around 350 crore taka owed to India over Maitree Express operations still to be addressed.

The proposal was discussed at the three-day 38th Bangladesh-India Inter-Governmental Railway Meeting, which ended at Rail Bhaban in Dhaka on Thursday.

“The Indian side placed the issue on the agenda,” Ziaul Haque, additional secretary at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Railways, told reporters after the meeting.

“We have said that if a formal proposal comes through diplomatic channels, we will examine it.”

The Maitree Express, which connects Dhaka and Kolkata, is one of three passenger trains between the two countries that have remained suspended for nearly two years, alongside the Bandhan and Mitali Express services.

Haque stressed that Bangladesh Railway had not suspended the trains.

“The Indian authorities stopped them,” he said, adding that any move to restore the services would therefore require a formal proposal from New Delhi.

Under the Indian proposal, the Maitree Express would use the Padma Bridge instead of its previous route. Haque said the change could shorten the journey and save passengers two to three hours.

The shorter distance could also lead to a revision of fares.

But operating an international passenger train over the Padma Bridge would require technical and operational assessments, as no cross-border passenger service has previously used the bridge.

Bangladesh would have to examine arrangements for turning the train at Cantonment Railway Station, immigration facilities and whether Kamalapur Railway Station has sufficient capacity to accommodate the service.

Haque said Kamalapur is already under pressure from domestic railway operations, making the allocation of slots and space for international services a technical challenge.

Financial issues also remain unresolved.

According to Haque, India is owed around Tk 350 crore by Bangladesh in connection with Maitree Express operations. Bangladesh Railway offered to pay Tk 50 crore during the talks, but negotiations over the outstanding amount are continuing.

No proposals to restart the Bandhan or Mitali Express were on the agenda of this week's meeting, Haque said.

“Neither the Indian side nor the Bangladesh side had an agenda on these two trains,” he said, although the services had been discussed at previous talks.

Bangladesh would place any formal Indian proposal to restore them before the government, he added.

The two sides also discussed launching passenger services on the Akhaura-Agartala railway link. India had previously been asked to provide data and supporting documents on potential passenger demand for the route, but Bangladesh has yet to receive the information.

Haque said the Indian delegation was reminded of the request during the meeting.

Asked whether strained political relations or questions of trust between Dhaka and New Delhi were affecting the restoration of passenger services, Haque said railway relations between the countries remained good.

He noted that India had raised security concerns at last year's meeting but did not raise the issue this time.

The talks instead focused heavily on problems affecting cross-border freight trains and measures that could be taken to remove operational bottlenecks.

Issues that can be resolved by the railway authorities will be handled at that level, while those requiring higher-level government decisions will be forwarded through the appropriate channels, Haque said.

The Indian delegation also described the three-day talks as positive.

Bangladesh Railway said a final decision on rerouting and restarting the Maitree Express would ultimately rest with the two governments.