Agreement on feasibility study of Kathmandu- Raxaul railway

KATHMANDU, Aug 31: Nepal and India have signed a bilateral agreement on the feasibility study of Kathmandu-Raxaul railway.

The agreement was signed in the presence of the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Modi had arrived in Nepal to attend the fourth BIMSTEC summit.

Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Madhu Sudan Adhikari, and Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Manjeev Singh Puri, signed the agreement.

As per the agreement, the technical resources would be provided by India to conduct the feasibility study. It is to be completed in a year.

During PM Oli’s state visit to India last April, PM Oli and his Indian counterpart had discussed the possibility of the construction of the railway linking Nepal and India.
As the PMs from both countries have showed commitment in principle on the construction of railway, the agreement on feasibility study has paved way for further development.

According to Secretary Adhikari, after the feasibility study, the process of DPR would initiate. The feasibility study would make clear the model to be adopted for the construction of the railway, he added.

As per the general estimate of the Department of Railway, the railway would be of some 120 to 130 km length and nearly 20 percent of it will be tunnel and bridges. RSS