In order to further deepen economic ties and connectivity, India and Bangladesh have entered into a new era of petroleum trade with a special goodwill train loaded with High Speed Diesel rolling down from India to Bangladesh. A goodwill rail rake consignment carrying diesel from Siliguri marketing terminal of Numaligarh Refineries (NRL) was flagged off on March 17. Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan has said that this consignment is a symbolic gesture of friendship and cooperation that exists between India and Bangladesh.
The goodwill rail rake consignment for supply of 2200 tons (2700 kilolitre) diesel of BS III (of Euro-III) Grade with 350 PPM sulphur content' will travel by rail from Siliguri to Parbatipur storage depot of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) in Bangladesh. From Siliguri, the 42 wagons (each with a capacity of 64 kl) rail consignment will travel over 516 km (253 km in India and 263 km in Bangladesh) on the existing railway line via Rangapani, Singabad, Rohanpur to reach Parbatipur on March 19.
Last year in June, during the visit of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to Bangladesh, both India and Bangladesh welcomed the Sale-Purchase Agreement signed between NRL and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC). The agreement also includes joint initiative for construction of a 135 km long pipeline, with a capacity of 1 million Metric Ton per annum(MMTPA), from Siliguri to Parbatipur.