Singhabad railway station
Singhabad | |
---|---|
Indian Railway Station | |
General information | |
Location | Vill: Singhabad, PS: Habibpur, Distt: Malda, West Bengal, PIN 732122 India |
Coordinates | 24°54′15″N 88°17′23″E / 24.9043°N 88.2898°E |
Elevation | 29 metres (95 ft) |
Owned by | Indian Railways |
Operated by | Eastern Railway |
Line(s) | Old Malda-Singhabad branch line |
Platforms | 1 (at ground level) |
Construction | |
Structure type | Standard on ground |
Parking | Not required |
Other information | |
Station code | SQB |
Division(s) | Malda |
Singhabad is a railway station in Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a railway transit point on the Bangladesh-India border.
Singhabad-Rohanpur transit facility
It is an active transit facility point. The corresponding station on the Bangladesh side is Rohanpur railway station in Nawabganj District.[1]
As per the Memorandum of Understanding entered into by Bangladesh and India on 15 August 1978 it was agreed to facilitate overland transit traffic between Bangladesh and Nepal. An addendum was made on 6 September 2011, to add new rail routes for facilitating overland transit traffic between Bangladesh and Nepal. The addendum read:
"1."Traffic in Transit" to/from Nepal and Bangladesh shall move through Indian territory by rail using Singhabad Railway station in India and Rohanpur Railway station in Bangladesh with their existing facilities. To ensure expeditious and smooth flow of such movement, necessary infrastructural facilities shall be provided by the two Parties within their respective territories.
"2.The existing rail route through Radhikapur Railway station in India and Birol Railway station in Bangladesh which has been suspended shall be brought into operation by converting Bangladesh portion into broad gauge. In this case, both the routes (proposed and the existing) shall be used for Nepal Transit Traffic by rail for additional operating convenience."[2]
In the Joint Statement issued on the occasion of the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh, on 7 September 2011, it was stated: "Bangladesh Prime Minister expressed her appreciation to the Indian Prime Minister for amendment of the MoU between the Bangladesh and Indian Railways allowing Rohanpur-Singabad as an additional route for both bulk and container cargo for Nepalese rail transit traffic. Bangladesh side also appreciated the assistance from India for the movement of fertilizers from Bangladesh to Nepal by rail route. They also agreed to re-establish rail connections between Chilahati-Haldibari and Kulaura-Mahishashan in the spirit of encouraging revival of old linkages and transport routes between the two countries".[3]
Bangladesh started export of fertilizer to Nepal utilizing the Rahanpur-Singhabad transit point in November 2011.[4]
The Singhabad-Rohanpur transit point allows through transport of goods from Raxaul in Nepal to Khulna in Bangladesh, without any transhipment, but is rarely used.[5]
Train
There is only one train, 55709/ 55710 Singhabad-Old Malda Passenger on the route. It covers a distance of 24 km with two stops in about 45 minutes each way.[6][7]
References
- ^ "Executive Summary" (PDF). Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ "Addendum to MOU between India and Bangladesh to facilitate overland transit traffic between Bangladesh and India, 6 September 2011". Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ^ "Joint Statement on the occasion of the visit of the PM of India to Bangladesh, 7 September 2011". Item No. 40. Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ^ "Bangladesh export to Nepal thru India resumes tomorrow". Priyo Internet Life. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Economic Integration in South Asia". page 244. Dorling-Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd., 14 Local Shopping Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017. ISBN 978-81-317-2945-8. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ^ "Departures from Singhabad". india rail info. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ^ "Singhabad Old Malda Passenger". india rail info. Retrieved 6 March 2013.