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.

Background

History

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. 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

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):Bangladesh rail connectivity, UNESCAP, accessed 23 Apr 2025. + 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 BIMSTEC Connectivity Projects Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand Regional cooperation projects SAARC Route Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka South Asian regional connectivity framework SASEC Corridors Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka Subregional economic cooperation program Silk Route (China's initiative with multiple partner countries) Part of China's Belt and Road Initiative 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. India announced participation on 17 May 2007 with projects worth ₹29.41 billion (US$730 million). Bangladesh signed on 10 November 2007.

Aerial services

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) Kolkata US-Bangla Airlines None Chennai US-Bangla Airlines (Discontinued) None Dhaka Chennai Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines IndiGo Delhi Biman Bangladesh Airlines Air India, IndiGo Guwahati None SpiceJet (Discontinued) Kolkata Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Novoair, US-Bangla Airlines Air India Express, IndiGo Mumbai None Air India, IndiGo Hyderabad None Indigo

Airlines between India-Bangladesh

+ Airlines operating between Bangladesh and India (2025) Airline Country Route(s) Notes Biman Bangladesh Airlines Dhaka–Kolkata, Dhaka–Delhi Bangladesh's national carrier; resumed Dhaka–Delhi flights in 2019 after 6-year gap US-Bangla Airlines Dhaka–Kolkata, Chittagong–Kolkata First Bangladeshi airline to operate flights to South India Novoair Dhaka–Kolkata Private Bangladeshi airline Air India Delhi–Dhaka, Mumbai–Dhaka India's flag carrier IndiGo Chennai–Dhaka, Delhi–Dhaka, Mumbai–Dhaka, Kolkata–Dhaka, Hyderabad–Dhaka SpiceJet Kolkata–Dhaka, Kolkata–Chittagong (all routes discontinued) Briefly operated Guwahati–Dhaka route in 2019 before discontinuing

Railway

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

Rail service by crossing points

Crossing Point (India)Crossing Point (Bangladesh)StatusCurrent train servicesHistorical train servicesRefGede, West BengalDarshanaActive (freight only)Maitree Express and freight trainsEast Bengal Express, East Bengal MailPetrapole, West BengalBenapoleBandhan Express and freight trainsBarisal ExpressHaldibari, West BengalChilahatiMitali ExpressSinghabad, West BengalRohanpurActiveFreight trains onlyRadhikapur, West BengalBiralActiveFreight trains onlyChangrabandha, West BengalBurimariInactiveMahisasan, AssamShahabaz PurBeing restoredAgartala, TripuraAkhauraActiveBelonia, TripuraFeniUnder construction

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 Based on the Bangladeshi frontier Status Current train services Historical train services Gede Darshana Western Current Maitree Express and freight trains East Bengal Express, East Bengal Mail Petrapole Benapole Western Current Bandhan Express and freight trains Barisal Express Singhabad Rohonpur Western Current Freight Radhikapur Biral Western Current Freight Western Current Mitali Express Changrabandha Burimari Western Inactive Currently inactive but slated for restoration. Mahishasan Shahbazpur Eastern Being restored A meter gauge line existed but was discontinued. Slated to be restored. Agartala Akhaura Eastern Being restored 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 – 393 km 5 days a week First passenger rail service between India and Bangladesh after 43 years Bandhan Express 2017 – via Petrapole–Benapole border 172 km Bi-weekly Recreates route of defunct Barisal Express; added stop in 2019 Mitali Express 2021 New Jalpaiguri railway station – Dhaka Cantonment railway station via Haldibari–Chilahati border 511 km Bi-weekly Launched during Bangladesh's independence golden jubilee celebrations

Proposed new rail connections

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."India and Bangladesh to restore snapped railway lines: Mujibal Haque", The Economic Times 28 October 2017.

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." Such an arrangement is being promoted for its benefit to bilateral commerce, the transport cost reduction for Indian businesses and additional revenue for Bangladesh. 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. As of 2007, travelling distance through Indian territory is an estimated , but a direct road link via Dhaka would shorten the travelling distance to an estimated , 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.

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. 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.

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 "BIMSTEC pushes India-Bangladesh-Myanmar highway." The Diplomat, 2021. West Frontier Bhanga–Kolkata Expressway (via Padma Bridge) Dhaka → Bhanga → Jashore → Beanpole → Petrapole → Kolkata Under discussion (2023) Reduce Dhaka-Kolkata travel to 6-7 hours "India-Bangladesh plan expressway via Padma Bridge." The Daily Star, 2023. Hili-Dinajpur Economic Corridor Hili → Dinajpur → Bogura → Dhaka Proposed under BBIN MVA Connect NW Bangladesh with West Bengal "Hili-Dinajpur route to ease cargo movement." The Financial Express, 2022. East Frontier Silchar-Sylhet Highway Silchar → Sutarkandi → Sheola → Sylhet Approved (2022) Northeast India to Chittagong Port "Silchar-Sylhet road link to boost trade." The Hindu, 2022. Agartala-Chittagong Corridor Agartala → Akhaura → Chittagong Port MoU signed (2023) Northeast connectivity to Chittagong "Agartala-Chittagong road link to cut Northeast's isolation." The Economic Times, 2023.

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) "Dhaka-Kolkata bus service resumes after 20 months." The Daily Star, 2022. Dhaka–Agartala (Tripura) Daily ~3 hours Dhaka → Akhaura (Bangladesh) → Agartala (India) BRTC & Tripura Road Transport Corporation "Dhaka-Agartala bus service launched." The Hindu, 2015. Kolkata–Dhaka–Guwahati (Assam) Operational (limited trips) ~?? hours Kolkata → Dhaka → Sylhet → Dawki (India) → Guwahati WBTC & BRTC "India-Bangladesh bus service to Guwahati begins." The Times of India, 2018. Siliguri (West Bengal)–Dhaka Operational (limited trips) ~?? hours Siliguri → Fulbari (India) → Banglabandha (Bangladesh) → Dhaka Private carriers (e.g., Shyamoli Transport) "Siliguri-Dhaka bus service via Panitanki." The Telegraph India, 2019.

Proposed Bus Services