Forty-three years after the train link between the two countries snapped, the Gede station will once again unite families and renew old bonds.

As the station gets a facelift, safety features have been reviewed too. A yellow-black fencing has been erected along the outer periphery of Platform No. 1. The fencing ends with giant gates. These are intended to shut out intruders once the international train halts at the platform for immigration and customs check.

Work on tracks is being carried out at a hectic pace. Walk down a few metres from the station, and you will be greeted by the intimidating, barbed, black box fencing being erected by the BSF. This will run right up to the zero point to insulate the train from any untoward incidents.

A flight of stairs down the platform leads one to the swanky immigration and customs office for the passengers across the border. Inside, a huge lounge lined with rows of chairs is waiting to embrace the visitors.

At the zero point on the border, however, it is not the railways alone that establishes the link between two sides. In an interesting contrast, an old parallel set-up thrives. The travellers on foot. And there are hundreds of them trekking the stretch between the Indian and the Bangladesh railhead to reach their destinations. The human traffic is heavy on either side. The old immigration and customs offices are still buzzing with activity. When the train services resume, they will continue to operate to manage the daily trickle of visitors who prefer to walk the one-kilometre stretch from Darshana to Gede on the Indian side.

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