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The friendship train: Connecting India and Bangladesh

The friendship train: Connecting India and Bangladesh

In 2008, India and Bangladesh were reconnected by train after 43 years

Witness History · BBC World Service

April 16, 20249m 3s

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Show Notes

When the train service between India and Bangladesh was suspended in 1965, following war between Pakistan and India, it lay dormant for 43 years.

But in a day of celebration in 2008, the Maitree (or Friendship) Express rumbled into life and connected the two countries once more.

In 2020, Farhana Haider spoke to Dr Azad Chowdhury who was on the inaugural train journey.

(Photo: Crowds line the tracks for the train’s first journey. Credit: STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)