Chilahati-Haldibari rail route reopened after 55 years

The rail route between Chilahati and Haldibari in West Bengal has been reopened after a gap of 55 years.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the cross-border rail route on Thursday.

The railway line from Haldibari to Chilahati was defunct since 1965.

The distance between Haldibari railway station till the international border is 4.5 kilometres while that from Chilahati in Bangladesh till the zero point is around 7.5 kilometres.

The resurrection of the route will help boost trade, as well as trans-border railway connectivity, sources said.