During the Covid-19 pandemic, India and Bangladesh have jointly launched a new passenger train named Mitali Express. The bi-weekly train will connect New Jalpaiguri in North Bengal with Dhaka in Bangladesh via Haldibari in India and Chilahati in Northern Bangladesh, covering a distance of 513 km in approximately 9-10 hours on two days each week. The Mitali Express, inaugurated virtually by the prime ministers of both countries on March 27 last year, was flagged off by the Railway Minister and his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Nurul Islam Sujan. This new service is expected to strengthen the bond between the two neighboring countries and boost tourism by connecting Bangladesh with North Bengal and the northeastern region of India, as well as providing access to Nepal for Bangladeshi citizens via India by rail. The Mitali Express will run on Sundays and Wednesdays, departing from New Jalpaiguri at 11.45 am and arriving at Dhaka Cantonment station at 10.30 pm on the same days. The return journey will depart from Dhaka Cantonment at 9.50 pm on Mondays and Thursdays, reaching New Jalpaiguri at 7.15 am on Tuesdays and Fridays. The train consists of four First AC, four AC Chair Car, and two Power cars, offering three classes: AC First (Cabin) Sleeper, AC First (Cabin) seat, and AC Chair car with fares of USD 44, USD 33, and USD 22 respectively. Bangladesh is interested in increasing the train frequency in the future to enhance people-to-people connectivity. Additionally, two other trains – the Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express (five days a week) and Kolkata-Khulna-Kolkata Bandhan Express (two days a week) – have resumed services after being suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic.
