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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.

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