India and Bangladesh on Thursday flagged off the Bandhan Express, a cross-border train that will run between Kolkata and Khulna in Bangladesh, ANI reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee flagged off train over video conferencing.
“I believe relations between leaders of neighbouring countries should be like neighbours,” Modi said after the inauguration, according to The Indian Express.
The fully air-conditioned train will run on the 177-km route every Thursday, starting November 16. It will leave Kolkata at 11 am and reach Khulna in four-and-a-half-hours. This is the second train between the two countries after the Maitree Express, which runs between Dhaka and Kolkata, NDTV reported.
The prime ministers also launched services making immigration simpler and two new bridges to improve rail connectivity in Bangladesh.
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