Benapole Express is going to resume operations on the Dhaka-Benapole route from December 2 after remaining suspended for nearly one and a half years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A letter in this regard has reached Benapole Railway Station authorities, Station Master Saiduzzaman said on Friday.
He said the train would leave Kamalapur Railway Station at 1:00pm and 10:30pm everyday, except Tuesday, like before the pandemic.
Currently nearly 1,200 passengers travel through the Benapole-Petrapole check post everyday. Some 95% of them are patients seeking advanced treatment in neighbouring India, while 7% are businessmen and 3% are students.
Passengers' sufferings have mounted as train operations on the route have remained suspended. Buses and other means of transport plying on Dhaka-Benapole route usually take a longer travel time, while it is possible to reach Benapole from Dhaka in seven hours.
A reliable source at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said on Friday that the Indian government would issue tourist visas within the shortest possible time from now on. As a result, some 8,000-10,000 passengers will be able to travel through this route.
SZA