What is Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan Express?

Kolkata-Khulna Express or Bandhan Express (বন্ধন এক্সপ্রেস) is a passenger train that runs between India and Bangladesh, from Kolkata in India to Khulna in Bangladesh. It is second train between India and Bangladesh after Kolkata-Dhaka (Maitree Express) train. The train has been flagged off on November 9, 2017 by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina along with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee via a video conferencing.

• The train will commence its commercial run from 16 November 2017. It will connect Kolkata with Khulna, the third largest city of Bangladesh. It will be available on Thursday.
• The train has two main halts viz. Benepole and Petrapole on the Indo-Bangladesh border. It covers a distancve of 172 kilometers in around five hours with average speed of 36 kilometers per second.
• It is fully air-conditioned train.

Currently, Kolkata and Dhaka ‘Maitree Express’ runs six days a week from each side of the border.