Sources said that after Saturday, a call will be taken for the train depending on the situation in the state.

“Due to unavoidable circumstances, 13107 Dhaka – Kolkata Maitree Express (journey commencing on 19.07.2024) and 13108 Kolkata – Dhaka Maitree Express (journey commencing on 20.07.2024) will remain cancelled. Inconvenience to be caused to the passengers is deeply regretted,” said a press release from Eastern Railways.

According to sources, the decision was taken in view of the delay of over three hours for the train in Darshana, Bangladesh on Friday. It left Kolkata at 7.13 am and reached Gede border at 9.12 am, reportedly halting under Bangladesh Railways at 9.34 am. Due to student unrest, it could only run again at 12.20 pm.

The Maitree Express (meaning Friendship Express), was inaugurated on April 14, 2008 (the occasion of Bengali New Year) and was a milestone in India-Bangladesh relations. The then Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee flagged off the first train in presence of the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and information and cultural minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi .

The train travels around 400 kilometres to reach Dhaka from Kolkata. It takes around eight hours and 50 mins to complete the journey. It usually runs five days a week, barring the time when it was last suspended, during the Covid pandemic, from March 2020 to May 2022.

At least 19 people were killed in Bangladesh on Thursday, taking the total number of casualties to at least 25, after protests against the quota system in government jobs turned violent. About 2,500 people were also injured in the clashes between the students and the police.