Background
The birth of India and Pakistan in 1947 disrupted rail links in the province of Bengal, which was partitioned into the Indian state of West Bengal ( পশ্চিমবঙ্গ ) and Pakistani province of East Bengal,later renamed as East Pakistan in the year of 1956. During British rule over the undivided land, regular over-night trains connected Kolkata, Goalanda, Dhaka and Narayanganj. These three train services—East Bengal Mail, East Bengal Express and the Barisal Express— continued operation between the two countries until 1965, when the outbreak of the Indo-Pakistani Conflict of 1965 led to the closure of the train links. The Bangladesh war of Independence 1971 resulted in the independence of East Pakistan as the nation-state of Bangladesh. All cross border services plied through the same route as the current Maitree Express.
Read more about this topic: Maitree Express
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