If Bhutan was on your travel bucket list this year, access to the country has just been made easier. Soon, a rail link from India to Bhutan might be functional.
A survey has been commissioned by the Railway Board to establish a cross border rail link between India and Bhutan. The Munjai-Nyoenpaling line might become a reality soon, making it easy for travellers to go across the border.
According to media reports, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was in Bhutan to head a business delegation for the Bhutan-India Start-up Summit 2020. A team from Indian Railways will soon visit Bhutan to hold discussions with the State Mining Corporation of Bhutan to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the export of necessary pre-requisites from Bhutan to India.
Both countries also discussed designation and notification of new transit customs railway stations at Pandu, Jogighopa and Agartala. Talks also involved discussions on making the land customs station at Nagarkatta as a permanent customs station.
Apart from a rail link between these two countries, a new Indian Railways line connecting northeast India and Bangladesh will be ready by 2021. If things go well, the rail line between Agartala in Tripura and Akhaura in Bangladesh might have its first run on the eve of India&rsquos 75 years of Independence in 2022.
The rail line will connect Gangasagar in Bangladesh to India&rsquos Nischintapur and from Nischintapur to Agartala railway station.
