Agartala-Kolkata Maitree bus service via Bangladesh resumes after 18-month hiatus

The much-anticipated Maitree international bus service linking Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh capital Dhaka resumed regular operations, bringing to an end a suspension that lasted for over a year.

The first bus in the Maitree International Bus Service fleet departed from Kolkata on Monday, traversed through Dhaka, and reached Agartala on Tuesday.

Passengers were accorded a warm welcome on arrival at the Agartala (India) - Akhaura (Bangladesh) Integrated Check Post (ICP).

Tripura Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) Acting Chairman Samar Roy, and senior officials from the ICP were present to greet the passengers.

Speaking to the media, the Minister described the resumption of the Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Dhaka as a welcome and joyous development, noting that it comes just days after a new government assumed office in Bangladesh.

He said that bilateral relations, particularly in cultural and economic spheres, are expected to strengthen with the beginning of this new phase.

Emphasising that development for both India and Bangladesh is not possible without friendship, Chowdhury said the bus services stand as a strong symbol of mutual trust and cooperation.

Keeping peace, stability and development in mind, a bus travelling from Kolkata to Agartala via Dhaka arrived at the Akhaura check post on Tuesday, marking the formal resumption of services after an 18-month suspension.

TRTC Acting Chairman Samar Roy said that the Agartala-Dhaka bus service is also likely to resume soon. He added that the 35-seater state government-owned TRTC bus will depart from Agartala three days a week, while another bus will leave Kolkata on three days a week.

Both services will operate via Dhaka, connecting Tripura and West Bengal. The Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata and Agartala-Dhaka bus services were initially suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic and later resumed in June 2022.

However, operations were again halted after a bus operated by a local travel agency met with an accident in Bangladesh and was subsequently attacked by a mob.

Bus operators also expressed reluctance to resume services following incidents of violence in Bangladesh during June-July last year, particularly after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, 2024.

A TRTC official said that with a newly elected government now in place in Bangladesh and reports indicating improvement in the overall law-and-order situation, the concerned authorities have decided to restart the cross-border bus services.

The Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata and Agartala–Dhaka routes are considered vital connectivity links, enabling smoother and faster travel between the mountainous Northeastern state and eastern India through Bangladesh territory.

Sources said that the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission (AHC) in Agartala has also begun issuing visas in special cases. Earlier, the Bangladesh AHC in Agartala had announced that all visa and consular services would remain suspended from December 23, 2025, due to "unavoidable circumstances" until further notice.

Tripura, which shares an 856-km-long border with Bangladesh and is surrounded by the neighbouring country on three sides, witnesses regular cross-border movement.

A large number of people travel frequently between the two countries for trade, tourism, education and personal reasons.

The Agartala-Akhaura ICP is also the second-largest trading point between India and Bangladesh after the Petrapole-Benapole ICP in West Bengal.

Travel from India's mountainous Northeastern region to the rest of the country via Bangladesh is significantly faster, more efficient and trouble-free compared to the traditional narrow Siliguri Corridor, commonly known as the "Chicken's Neck".

While the road distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Guwahati is about 1,650 km, the route through Bangladesh reduces the distance to just 620 km.