jis
Permanent Way Inspector
Staff member
Administator
Moderator
AU Supporting Member
Gathering Team Member
I was just looking at the type of accommodation provided on the four international trains that operate between India and its neighbors:
A. India - Pakistan - two services, both require a change of train at the border. The accommodation on the Indian side are as follows:
1. Samjhauta Express - Delhi - Atari - [change train] (Wagah - Lahore)
10x Sleepers and 1x AC 2 Tier Sleeper, twice a week - Pantry catering, thirteen car Indian Railways ICF consist on the Indian side. Consist composition on Pakistan side unknown.
2. Thar Link Express - Bhagat ki Kothi (Jodhpur) - Munabao - [change train] (Zero Point - Karachi), 9 car Indian Railways ICF consist on the Indian side. Consist composition on Pakistan side unknown.
7x Sleepers, once a week - no catering (just a five hour run)
B. India - Bangladesh - one current service, one to be inaugurated 1 July 2017. Neither require change of train at the border.
1. Dhaka Maitree Express - Kolkata - Gede - (Darshana - Dhaka) - notionally replaces pre-1965 Kolkata - Goalondo Ghat East Bengal Express service which connected to Dhaka by ferry from Goalondo.
4x AC Chair Car 4x AC 1st Class, four times a week - fully Air-conditioned, two meals catered, ten car Indian LHB consist - one provided by Indian Railways and one by Bangladesh Railway.
2. Khulna Maitree Express - Kolkata - Petrapole - (Benapole - Jessore - Khulna) - to be introduced 1 July 2017 - replaces pre-1965 Barisal Express service
1x AC 1st, 1x AC Chair Car, 3x non-AC Chair Car, once a week - catering planned even though less than 5 hour run, seven car Bangladesh Railway Indonesian PT consist.
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One thing that becomes obvious is that the service to Bangladesh is more robust with clientele that is more numerous and more well to do. There is strong pressure to make the Dhaka service daily. Also Customs and Immigration checks are planned to be moved to the origin and destination station in the near future eliminating the 3+ hour border stop. The Khulna service is also expected to become more frequent than once a week soon after its commercial inauguration.
The service to Pakistan at present at best is limping along. Hopefully things will improve some day. But the current lack of trust between the two countries appears to make that day a far away dream. The clientele for the Pakistan service seem to be not as affluent as that for the Bangladesh service.
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Future:
1. India and Bangladesh are planning to run a sealed train through Bangladesh connecting Kolkata with Agartala in the Indian state of Tripura, reducing the travel time between the two by effectively a day, replacing an overnight journey by a day train.
2.Three more border crossings are being reopened and are likely to get at least some local passenger service across the border.
3. The completion of the new Padma Bridge between Bhanga and Naraynganj will open up a second shorter route from Kolkata to Dhaka. How train service between Kolkata and Dhaka might get reorganized and whth additional service will be added to Barisal with the completion of the Faridpur - Barisal - Payra projects are all open possibilities being explored.
4. Meanwhile, it is more than likely that both the Kolkata - Dhaka and the Kolkata - Khulna services will become daily within the next couple of years.
5. At the present time there are no major efforts afoot to increase service between India and Pakistan, though there is enough demand to increase the frequency of both the trains in spite of the difficulty encountered by travelers in obtaining visas, and the restrictions on foreign Passport holders regarding land border crossings.
A. India - Pakistan - two services, both require a change of train at the border. The accommodation on the Indian side are as follows:
1. Samjhauta Express - Delhi - Atari - [change train] (Wagah - Lahore)
10x Sleepers and 1x AC 2 Tier Sleeper, twice a week - Pantry catering, thirteen car Indian Railways ICF consist on the Indian side. Consist composition on Pakistan side unknown.
2. Thar Link Express - Bhagat ki Kothi (Jodhpur) - Munabao - [change train] (Zero Point - Karachi), 9 car Indian Railways ICF consist on the Indian side. Consist composition on Pakistan side unknown.
7x Sleepers, once a week - no catering (just a five hour run)
B. India - Bangladesh - one current service, one to be inaugurated 1 July 2017. Neither require change of train at the border.
1. Dhaka Maitree Express - Kolkata - Gede - (Darshana - Dhaka) - notionally replaces pre-1965 Kolkata - Goalondo Ghat East Bengal Express service which connected to Dhaka by ferry from Goalondo.
4x AC Chair Car 4x AC 1st Class, four times a week - fully Air-conditioned, two meals catered, ten car Indian LHB consist - one provided by Indian Railways and one by Bangladesh Railway.
2. Khulna Maitree Express - Kolkata - Petrapole - (Benapole - Jessore - Khulna) - to be introduced 1 July 2017 - replaces pre-1965 Barisal Express service
1x AC 1st, 1x AC Chair Car, 3x non-AC Chair Car, once a week - catering planned even though less than 5 hour run, seven car Bangladesh Railway Indonesian PT consist.
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One thing that becomes obvious is that the service to Bangladesh is more robust with clientele that is more numerous and more well to do. There is strong pressure to make the Dhaka service daily. Also Customs and Immigration checks are planned to be moved to the origin and destination station in the near future eliminating the 3+ hour border stop. The Khulna service is also expected to become more frequent than once a week soon after its commercial inauguration.
The service to Pakistan at present at best is limping along. Hopefully things will improve some day. But the current lack of trust between the two countries appears to make that day a far away dream. The clientele for the Pakistan service seem to be not as affluent as that for the Bangladesh service.
____________________________________________
Future:
1. India and Bangladesh are planning to run a sealed train through Bangladesh connecting Kolkata with Agartala in the Indian state of Tripura, reducing the travel time between the two by effectively a day, replacing an overnight journey by a day train.
2.Three more border crossings are being reopened and are likely to get at least some local passenger service across the border.
3. The completion of the new Padma Bridge between Bhanga and Naraynganj will open up a second shorter route from Kolkata to Dhaka. How train service between Kolkata and Dhaka might get reorganized and whth additional service will be added to Barisal with the completion of the Faridpur - Barisal - Payra projects are all open possibilities being explored.
4. Meanwhile, it is more than likely that both the Kolkata - Dhaka and the Kolkata - Khulna services will become daily within the next couple of years.
5. At the present time there are no major efforts afoot to increase service between India and Pakistan, though there is enough demand to increase the frequency of both the trains in spite of the difficulty encountered by travelers in obtaining visas, and the restrictions on foreign Passport holders regarding land border crossings.