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Bangladesh joins Trans-Asian Railway network

DHAKA: Bangladesh has finally signed the agreement to join the Trans-Asian Railway Network, enabling the country to expand its rail links with other Asian countries and Europe.

The Trans-Asian Railway Network Agreement is a project of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to create a trans-continental railway corridor across Europe and Asia.

With Bangladesh’s signing the agreement, the number of countries, including India, has now increased to 20. The agreement was signed in New York on Friday by Bangladesh’s permanent representative, Ismat Jahan.

The proposed 80,900-km railway network will originate from the Pacific seaboard of Asia and end on the doorsteps of Europe.

The long-awaited signing came a year after the agreement was signed by 18 other nations in 2006. India signed the agreement in May 2007. Bangladesh failed to sign the agreement earlier as the previous BNP-Jamaat alliance government was undecided on the issue.

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