- Bangladesh to import 200 broad-gauge railway coaches from India by December 2027
- European Investment Bank finances Rs 915 crore project for Bangladesh Railway upgrades
- RITES Ltd. will deliver modern LHB coaches, resuming shipments from mid-2026
Bangladesh is set to import 200 broad-gauge railway coaches from India, with deliveries expected to begin by the end of this month or early next month. The deliveries of the 200 coaches are likely to be completed by December 2027 under a Rs 915 crore deal.
The project, financed by the European Investment Bank, will see the new coaches being added to the ageing Bangladesh Railway fleet between June 2026 and December 2027. Currently, Bangladesh Railways faces a shortage of coaches. The production of these coaches is underway with the designs of four variants of the coaches being cleared.
The modern LHB coaches are being manufactured by the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, the first batch of these coaches is being delivered by RITES Ltd., the export arm of Indian Railways. Shipments to Bangladesh had been paused following political transitions in Bangladesh, but deliveries are resuming in mid-2026. Earlier, 120 broad-gauge LHB passenger coaches, 36 broad-gauge locomotives and 10-metre-gauge locomotives were sent to Bangladesh Railways.
Among other significant achievements is RITES' order of exporting 200 passenger coaches to Bangladesh, RITES Chairman and Managing Director, Rahul Mithal, said recently, adding that the first train set of 20 coaches will be exported soon. RITES Limited is a firm under the Ministry of Railways specialising in transport infrastructure, providing services from concept to commissioning for railways, highways, airports, and urban transport. It also acts as the export arm for Indian Railways rolling stock globally.
Sources in Bangladesh have told NDTV that discussions are likely to commence in September on restarting the Maitree Express that runs from Kolkata to Dhaka. The train used to travel a 375 km route across the border in West Bengal and reached Dhaka in 9 hours. While the train has had high occupancy since its inauguration in 2008, the operations were suspended due to political unrest in Bangladesh in 2024. In April 2017, a second Maitree Express route was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, connecting Kolkata to Khulna (Bangladesh).
Newly appointed Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, has reaffirmed India's commitment to further strengthening the multifaceted India-Bangladesh partnership for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two sovereign countries.
India has resumed issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshi nationals. Last month, High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said, "I am happy to announce that we are resuming our normal visa operations for tourist visas. Applications for tourist visas can be submitted from Sunday, 28th of June 2026."
"We will continue to facilitate medical visas in urgent cases on humanitarian grounds," he added.
The Bangladesh government is also planning further investments to modernise the railway system, including proposals to procure 260 additional broad-gauge passenger coaches, 46 broad-gauge locomotives and 50 metre-gauge locomotives for Bangladesh railway network which operates with broad gauge and metre gauge tracks.
Bangladesh's Railways Minister has said the new coaches would help expand rail services, with authorities planning to determine new train routes once the delivery process begins. The move is also expected to increase the number of intercity trains, particularly on routes connecting Dhaka with northern districts, where 15 intercity trains currently operate.
Bangladesh currently has a little over 3,400 kilometres of railway tracks, including metre-gauge, broad-gauge and dual-gauge lines. Bangladesh Railways is making efforts that are ongoing to expand the network through new projects based on demand and feasibility.
With the Tarique-Rahman government taking charge this year, there has been an effort to improve ties which had deteriorated during the tenure of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, which had taken an anti-India position and emboldened radical anti-India forces in the country.
Apart from railway coaches, in March this year, India sent a major consignment of diesel to Bangladesh, as the country was facing a critical fuel shortfall due to the war in Iran. New Delhi sent 5,000 tonnes of diesel as part of the regular ongoing energy trade between the two countries. Dhaka had confirmed receiving the diesel consignment from India.
