Transport between India and Bangladesh

Transport between India and Bangladesh bears much historical and political significance for both countries, which possessed no ground transport links for 43 years, starting with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947. The Kolkata–Dhaka Bus (1999) and the Dhaka–Agartala Bus (2001) are the primary road links between the two countries; a direct Kolkata-Agartala running through Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is being developed by both countries. The Maitree Express (Friendship Express) was launched to revive a railway link between Kolkata and Dhaka that had been shut for 43 years.^[1]

Map of Bangladesh with existing rail and road links.

Background

History

See also: List of massacres in Bangladesh and Human rights and minority persecution in Bangladesh

The partition of Bengal and India on 15 August 1947 led to the establishment of the Indian state of West Bengal; East Bengal became a province of the state of Pakistan. The hostile bilateral relations between the two nations made transport links very limited, despite the cultural and commercial links between West and East Bengal. At the outbreak of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the only railway link between Dhaka and Kolkata was shut down, and not resumed until 2008 with the launch of the Maitree Express.

After the establishment of Bangladesh following the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971, bilateral relations improved considerably, but the two governments moved slowly on implementing a 1980 agreement on improving transport links.^[2] In the 1990s, the Indian and Bangladeshi governments collaborated to open bus services between Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal and one of the largest cities in India, and Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. In 2001, another bus service was launched to connect Dhaka with Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of Tripura the second largest city of Northeast India that borders Bangladesh in the east.

India-Bangladesh borders

Both share physical land as well as maritime borders:

• Bangladesh-India border
  • India–Bangladesh border haats

• India-Bangladesh maritime border and EEZ

International transport connection frameworks

See also: South Asian Free Trade Area

India's Look-East connectivity policy has resulted in the launch of several connectivity projects with neighbouring countries to the east, including Bangladesh, Myanmar and ASEAN nations.

India-Bangladesh transport and other strategic inter-linkages, such as energy and internet, etc are driven by both the bilateral agreements as well as the following international cooperation frameworks many of which are facilitated by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)'s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):^[3]

Regional Connectivity Frameworks

Framework	Countries	Explanation
BBIN MVA	Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal	Motor Vehicle Agreement for regional connectivity
BCIM Economic Corridor	Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar	Economic corridor initiative[3]
BIMSTEC Connectivity Projects	Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand	Regional cooperation projects[3]
SAARC Route	Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka	South Asian regional connectivity framework[3]
SASEC Corridors	Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka	Subregional economic cooperation program[3]
Silk Route	(China's initiative with multiple partner countries)	Part of China's Belt and Road Initiative[3]
Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) Network	(Pan-Asian network including Bangladesh and India)	On 5 May 2007, Bangladesh announced it would join the agreement. Includes three lines between India and Myanmar through Bangladesh.[4] India announced participation on 17 May 2007 with projects worth ₹29.41 billion (US$730 million).[5] Bangladesh signed on 10 November 2007.[6]

Aerial services

See also: Civil aviation in India and Civil aviation in Bangladesh

Cities connected

Direct air connections between Bangladeshi and Indian cities (as of 2025)

Bangladeshi City	Indian City	Bangladeshi Airlines	Indian Airlines
Chittagong	Delhi	None	SpiceJet (Discontinued)[7]
	Kolkata	US-Bangla Airlines[8][9]	None
	Chennai	US-Bangla Airlines (Discontinued)[9]	None
Dhaka	Chennai	Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines[9]	IndiGo
	Delhi	Biman Bangladesh Airlines[8][9]	Air India, IndiGo[7]
	Guwahati	None	SpiceJet (Discontinued)[10]
	Kolkata	Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Novoair, US-Bangla Airlines[8][9]	Air India Express, IndiGo[7]
	Mumbai	None	Air India, IndiGo[7]
	Hyderabad	None	Indigo

Airlines between India-Bangladesh

Airlines operating between Bangladesh and India (2025)

Airline	Country	Route(s)	Notes
Biman Bangladesh Airlines	Bangladesh	Dhaka–Kolkata, Dhaka–Delhi	Bangladesh's national carrier; resumed Dhaka–Delhi flights in 2019 after 6-year gap[8]
US-Bangla Airlines	Bangladesh	Dhaka–Kolkata, Chittagong–Kolkata	First Bangladeshi airline to operate flights to South India[9]
Novoair	Bangladesh	Dhaka–Kolkata	Private Bangladeshi airline[9]
Air India	India	Delhi–Dhaka, Mumbai–Dhaka	India's flag carrier
IndiGo	India	Chennai–Dhaka, Delhi–Dhaka, Mumbai–Dhaka, Kolkata–Dhaka, Hyderabad–Dhaka
SpiceJet	India	Kolkata–Dhaka, Kolkata–Chittagong (all routes discontinued)	Briefly operated Guwahati–Dhaka route in 2019 before discontinuing[7][10]

Railway

See also: Bangladesh Railway and Indian Railway

The complete rail links, including the historical links, between India & Bangladesh and their current status is as follows:

Rail service by crossing points

Crossing Point (India)	Crossing Point (Bangladesh)	Status	Current train services	Historical train services	Ref
Gede, West Bengal	Darshana	Currently Suspended	Maitree Express and freight trains	East Bengal Express, East Bengal Mail	[11]
Petrapole, West Bengal	Benapole		Bandhan Express and freight trains	Barisal Express	[11]
Haldibari, West Bengal	Chilahati		Mitali Express		[11]
Singhabad, West Bengal	Rohanpur	Active	Freight trains only		[11]
Radhikapur, West Bengal	Biral	Active	Freight trains only		[11]
Changrabandha, West Bengal	Burimari	Inactive
Mahisasan, Assam	Shahabaz Pur	Being restored	[12]	[12]
Agartala, Tripura	Akhaura	Active			[13]
Belonia, Tripura	Feni	Under construction			[12]

Rail service by frontiers

The Bangladesh border is conceptualised as consisting of two frontiers, east and west, separated by Brahmaputra River (the lower end of which is also called the Padma River) flowing north to south through the centre of Bangladesh, dividing the nation into two vertical halves.

Indian crossing	Bangladeshi crossing	Frontier [rail-note 1]	Status	Current train services	Historical train services
Gede	Darshana	Western	Current	Maitree Express and freight trains	East Bengal Express, East Bengal Mail[14]
Petrapole	Benapole	Western	Current	Bandhan Express and freight trains	Barisal Express[14]
Singhabad	Rohonpur	Western	Current	Freight
Radhikapur	Biral	Western	Current	Freight
Haldibari	Chilahati	Western	Current	Mitali Express
Changrabandha	Burimari	Western	Inactive [rail-note 2]
Mahishasan	Shahbazpur	Eastern	Being restored [rail-note 3]
Agartala	Akhaura	Eastern	Being restored [rail-note 4]

1. Based on the Bangladeshi frontier
2. Currently inactive but slated for restoration.
3. A meter gauge line existed but was discontinued. Slated to be restored.
4. A new line being is developed by IRCON, cost to be borne by India. Land acquisition for the ongoing Agartala-Akhaura new railway connectivity project was complete in both countries in October 2017 and laying of tracks will be completed in 2018.

Details of rail services

Train Name	Year Started	Route	Distance	Frequency	Notes
Maitree Express	2008	Kolkata – Dhaka Cantonment	393 km	5 days a week	First passenger rail service between India and Bangladesh after 43 years
Bandhan Express	2017	Kolkata – Khulna via Petrapole–Benapole border	N/A	N/A	Recreates route of defunct Barisal Express; added Jessore Junction stop in 2019
Mitali Express	2021	New Jalpaiguri railway station – Dhaka Cantonment railway station via Haldibari–Chilahati border	N/A	Bi-weekly	Launched during Bangladesh's independence golden jubilee celebrations

Proposed new rail connections

See also: Northeast railway connectivity projects

On 28 October 2017, Bangladesh Railway Minister Mujibal Haque said that India and Bangladesh are working on reconnecting railway lines in 12 places, which were cut off after partition of the country in 1947. India sponsored rail bridges on Titas and the Bhoirab rivers in Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh were completed.^[15]

Roads

Road corridors

Since the 1980s, the Indian and Bangladeshi governments have sought to negotiate an agreement permitting commercial vehicles to pass through Bangladeshi highways to reach the northeastern states of India from the west; a concept described in India as the "Bangla Corridor."^[16] Such an arrangement is being promoted for its benefit to bilateral commerce, the transport cost reduction for Indian businesses and additional revenue for Bangladesh.^[2][17] In 2006, both governments began working on a proposal to provide a bus service directly connecting Kolkata with Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of Tripura, which borders eastern Bangladesh.^[18] As of 2007, travelling distance through Indian territory is an estimated 1,700 km (1,056 mi), but a direct road link via Dhaka would shorten the travelling distance to an estimated 400 km (249 mi),^[16] considerably reducing the costs of transport for Indian businesses, which have to transport goods and services through the narrow "Chicken's Neck" territory that is bordered by northern Bangladesh and southern Nepal. However, such an arrangement has been politically sensitive in Bangladesh.^[16]

Existing corridors

Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala route: On 2 June 2015, the first trial run of a direct bus between Kolkata and Agartala ran, a route distance of 500 km, as compared to the 1650 km if it ran through the Chicken's Neck to remain within India. This bus made an overnight stop in Dhaka.^[19] General service began on 7 June, and the first bus was flagged off by political leaders including Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, and Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Bannerjee.^[20]

Proposed new road corridors

Proposed India-Bangladesh cross-border transport corridors

Scope	Project	Route	Status	Purpose	Reference
East-to-West	Delhi–Dhaka–Yangon Trilateral Highway	Delhi → Kolkata → Dhaka → Myanmar	Conceptualized under BIMSTEC	Pan-regional connectivity	[21]
West Frontier	Bhanga–Kolkata Expressway (via Padma Bridge)	Dhaka → Bhanga → Petrapole → Kolkata	Under discussion (2023)	Reduce Dhaka-Kolkata travel to 6-7 hours	[22]
	Hili-Dinajpur Economic Corridor	Hili → Dinajpur → Bogura → Dhaka	Proposed under BBIN MVA	Connect NW Bangladesh with West Bengal	[23]
East Frontier	Silchar-Sylhet Highway	Silchar → Sutarkandi → Sheola → Sylhet	Approved (2022)	Northeast India to Chittagong Port	[24]
	Agartala-Chittagong Corridor	Agartala → Akhaura → Chittagong Port	MoU signed (2023)	Northeast connectivity to Chittagong	[25]

Bus service

Existing bus services

Route	Frequency	Travel Time	Route Details	Operators	References
Dhaka→Kolkata (West Bengal)	Daily	~12 hours	Dhaka→Benapole (Bangladesh)→Petrapole (India)→Kolkata	West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC)	[26]
Dhaka–Agartala (Tripura)	Daily	~3 hours	Dhaka → Akhaura (Bangladesh) → Agartala (India)	BRTC & Tripura Road Transport Corporation	[27]
Kolkata–Dhaka–Guwahati (Assam)	Operational (limited trips)	~?? hours	Kolkata → Dhaka → Sylhet → Dawki (India) → Guwahati	WBTC & BRTC	[28]
Siliguri (West Bengal)–Dhaka	Operational (limited trips)	~?? hours	Siliguri → Fulbari (India) → Banglabandha (Bangladesh) → Dhaka	Private carriers (e.g., Shyamoli Transport)	[29]

Proposed Bus Services

Route	Proposed Route Details	Status/Comments	References
Kolkata–Chittagong	Kolkata → Petrapole → Dhaka → Chittagong	Boost trade/tourism to Bangladesh's port city	[30]
Shillong (Meghalaya)–Sylhet	Shillong → Dawki → Tamabil (Bangladesh) → Sylhet	Under discussion (2023)	[31]
Delhi–Dhaka (via Varanasi)	Delhi → Varanasi → Kolkata → Dhaka	Long-distance; may combine rail/bus	[32]

Details of select bus services

Route	Launch Date	Operators	Frequency & Timings	Distance	Duration	Notes
Kolkata–Dhaka	19 June 1999	WBSTC & BRTC (also by private AC buses, e.g. Shohagh, Green Line, etc.)	From Dhaka: Mon, Wed, Fri at 7:00 am & 7:30 am From Kolkata: Tue, Thu, Sat at 5:30 am, 8:30 am & 12:30 pm No service on Sunday	India: 80 km Bangladesh: 300 km	~12.5 hrs	Facilitates family visits & commerce Continued despite geopolitical tensions Inaugurated by Sheikh Hasina
Dhaka–Agartala	11 July 2001	BRTC & Indian counterpart	Not specified	Not specified	Not specified	Connects Bangladesh with Indian state of Tripura.

Shipping

See also: List of Bangladesh-India transboundary rivers, Freedom of navigation, and United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

Bangladesh and India signed agreement to use 2 ports in Bangladesh - Mongla Port and Chittagong Port to be used for the following 4 transit routes to Northeast India:^[33]

Port	Routes	Comments
Chittagong Port	Chittagong Port-Akhaura-Agartala[33]
	Chittagong-Bibirbazar-Srimantapur[33]
Mongla Port	Mongla Port-Akhaura-Agartala[33]
	Mongla Port-Bibirbazar-Srimantapur[33]

Other connections

Energy

See India-Bangladesh's existing and proposed electricity grid (see also Adani Power supply to Bangladesh),^[34] Bangladesh-India Friendship pipeline (BIFP, 130 km long diesel supply to Bangladesh),^[35][36] proposed Myanmar-Bangladesh-India LNG pipeline (to supply LNG from Myanmar to Bangladesh and Tripura in India), and internet connectivity.^[37]

Internet

In 2025, while Bangladesh provides internet connectivity to Northeast India, a proposal for India to directly route internet cables through Bangladesh to Northeast Asia was declined. Bangladesh opted to maintain authority over the traffic traversing its territory via its own monitoring agencies, leading India to explore alternative solutions for its connectivity needs.^[38]

See also

• Bangladesh–India relations
• India-Bangladesh border ceremonies
• Greater India
• Indian Century

External links

• Map of India-Bangladesh border links
• Fox Parcel: Cargo to Bangladesh from India