Rail Link between Nepal and India

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.