The Nepal Railways Corporation Ltd. is a state-owned company which operates railways in Nepal. It maintains and operates two railway lines in the country: the Raxaul–Sirsiya and the Jainagar–Janakpur. The former is a line from Raxaul, India to Sirsiya Inland Container Depot near Birganj, Nepal, and is primarily used for freight transport. It allows container traffic to be imported to Nepal through the Sirsiya dry port container depot. The latter is a line from Jaynagar, India to Janakpur, Nepal, and is used primarily for passenger transport. Integral Coach Factory, Chennai has undertaken export of Diesel Electric Multiple Unit as trainsets to Nepal. To date, Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, has no railway links.
History
The first railway in Nepal was the Nepal Government Railway, a narrow gauge railway, built by the British in 1927, during the Rana period. The railway connected Raxaul in British India with Amlekhganj in the Kingdom of Nepal. This line allowed people from different areas of the country to reach Amlekhganj, and helped move heavy vehicles to Bhimphedi. It was then possible to reach Kathmandu from Bhimphedi on foot. The railway possessed seven steam locomotives, 12 coaches and 82 wagons. It operated steam-powered Garratt locomotives manufactured by Beyer, Peacock and Company of the United Kingdom. The second railway in the country was the Nepal Janakpur–Jaynagar Railway, a narrow gauge railway, built by the British in 1937, during the Rana period. This track was built to carry timber from the then heavily forested areas of Janakpur in the Kingdom of Nepal to Jaynagar in British India. The railway was later extended to Bijalpura. The Raxaul-Amlekhganj railway track was operational until 1965. It was closed down after opening of the Tribhuvan Highway. The railway track from Raxaul was converted to broad gauge by Indian Railways to connect Sirsiya Inland Container Depot. The railway became fully operational in 2005, though certain segments were used as early as 2002. It is used to move containers and other cargo to and from the Kolkata port and other places in India. It is the most important entry point for imports into China, and is essential for Nepal's commerce and trade. Birganj is located from the Kolkata port by railway. After a washout of the railway embankment and two bridges, the track between Janakpur and Bijayalpura was closed in 2001. The remaining Janakpur–Jaynagar railway track was converted to broad gauge in 2018. The extension to Bardibas remains under construction.
Incidents
In August 2012, a serious incident occurred when a locomotive ran away without bogies while a driver was putting in oil. The locomotive ran from Jaynagar to Janakpur at speeds far exceeding the restrictions on the line, resulting in the normally two-and-a-half hours journey of taking only 45 minutes. The staff at Janakpur diverted the locomotive engine onto a damaged track where its wheels became stuck in the ground and it came to a full stop without causing any injuries.
Future
The below railway lines are either under construction or have been planned.
East-West Railway or Mechi-Mahakali Railway: The railway feasibility study has been done with total of which will expand through 24 districts in the total cost of $3 billion.
Anbu Khaireni-Bharatpur - The feasibility study has done and railway will be constructed to link Kathmandu and Pokhara with the Mechi-Mahakali or the East-West Railway.
Jaynagar-Janakpur–Bijayalpura-Bardibas: The Jaynagar–Janakpur line is being extended further to Bardibas from Janakpur.
Kerung-Kathmandu: The railway will connect the capital city with China and the estimated cost is $2.75 billion. A 23-member technical and administrative team of National Railway Administration of China, led by its vice minister Zheng Jian contucted a four-day overall study.
Lumbini-Pokhara-Kathmandu: This will connect the popular tourist destination and adventureous city with the capital and the estimated cost is $3 billion.
Raxaul–Birgunj-Kathmandu: Nepal and India agreed to construct a railway line linking Raxaul with Kathmandu during Prime Minister KP Oli Sharma's visit to India. A team of technical officers visited Kathmandu to study the proposed railway and they have stated that a feasibility study of the project would begin. They have already identified Chobhar as the terminus of the 113 km long railway line.
China–Nepal Railway: A line linking India with Lhasa in Tibet through Kathmandu has been proposed by the K.P. Oli government. In November 2017, Chinese media reported the arrival of a delegation of Chinese railway experts to Nepal. The Chinese experts discussed the possibility of a railway connection between China and Nepal. The two sides reached an agreement on construction details of the railway in August 2018. The line is planned to use standard gauge.
