Rail Link between Nepal and India
- Posted By
10Pointer
- Categories
World Affairs
- Published
12th Oct, 2021
-
Context
The first railway link route between Nepal and India is ready to resume with the first neighboring passenger service of the first neighboring country (Jayanagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas railway project).
Background
- The railway link between Nepal and India has been popular since the beginning of the 20th century.
- In 1937, the British had built a narrow gauge line to ferry cargo, mainly logs, from Nepal to India.
- However, over time it became a popular passenger service before it was stopped in 2014 for conversion to broad gauge.
About the project
- First Stretch: The first stretch is a 34-kilometer line between Bihar's Jayanagar and the Kurtha of Nepal, with a Hindu tourist town in Janakpur Dham in the middle.
- Second Stretch: Second Stretch, the 17 km railway line from Kurtha to Bijalpura also receives a finishing touch.
- For the remaining part up to Bardibas, the land is given to Indian Railway Construction Limited (IRCON).
- Construction costs of Rs 784 crore throughout the land are borne by India through a grant to Nepal.
- Konkan Railway Corporation Limited has a contract for the operation and maintenance of the line, and will train and develop the human resources provided by Nepal, as per the two countries' understanding.
Electric Train Track:
- The India-Nepal Joint Working Group signed an agreement to test the site with a wide gauge line between Bihar's Raxaul and Kathmandu.
- It will be a mountain railway that will direct rail connections between Nepal capital and the Indian network, opening up a number of border crossings.