Warish Alam, general manager of the Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata bus service, said buses will initially operate twice a week on a trial basis. If conditions remain stable, the frequency could increase to three days a week.
The route provides a major logistical advantage. While the train from Agartala to Kolkata via Guwahati covers nearly 1,500 km, the bus through Dhaka reduces the distance to about 500 km, cutting travel time and costs significantly.
The direct international bus service linking Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka has resumed after a hiatus of more than a year and a half.
The bus service had remained halted since August 5, 2024, due to “political instability” in Bangladesh and visa complications.
On Feb 24th afternoon, a ‘Royal Maitree’ bus that had departed from Kamalapur Bus Depot in Dhaka crossed into India’s Tripura state via Brahmanbaria's Akhaura.
Earlier, on February 21, a bus had left Krishnanagar Bus Depot in Agartala for Dhaka.
Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury welcomed the passengers at Akhaura Integrated Checkpost .
The bus arrived in Agartala from Kolkata via Dhaka with around 20 passengers, while another bus left for the West Bengal capital.
The Royal-Maitri international bus service has been suspended for the past year due to political turmoil in Bangladesh, resulting in visa issues and a sharp decline in the number of passengers. With the situation improving, the operator sought to recommence the service, according to an official.
"Development is never possible without friendship. It is through friendship and cooperation that relations between two neighbouring countries become stronger," he said in a Facebook post.
On the foundation of friendship, cooperation, and mutual understanding, the relationship between the two countries grows deeper and stronger, Chowdhury said, adding that it is the reality and an undeniable truth.
"The Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata and Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus services are a major example of this friendship. Keeping that faith, trust, and reality in mind, and recognising the importance of peace, stability, and development," he said.
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