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Department of Railways (Nepal)

Coordinates: 27°43′12″N 85°20′06″E / 27.720°N 85.335°E / 27.720; 85.335
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Department of Railways
रेल विभाग

Railway line near Kurtha.
Department overview
Formed15 June 2011
TypeRail transport
JurisdictionGovernment of Nepal
StatusActive
HeadquartersBishalnagar, Kathmandu, Nepal
27°43′12″N 85°20′06″E / 27.720°N 85.335°E / 27.720; 85.335
Annual budgetNRs 4.056 Billion (FY 2081/82)
Director General responsible
  • Rohit Kumar Bisural
Parent departmentMinistry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport
Child Department
Websitehttp://dorw.gov.np

Department of Railways under Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport is the authority to develop, maintain and plan railways in Nepal. It has its headquarter at Bishalnagar, Kathmandu. Currently it maintains three in-operation railway lines in the country: Raxaul–Sirsiya, Jainagar–Bhangaha and Bathnaha-Budhnagar. It is equivalent to Department of Road for road infrastructure. It has several lines planned.

History

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Birgunj was the first town to witness railway service in 1923 followed by Janakpur and Dharan. These were the lines before an integrated railway development body like Department of Railways was formed. All lines were separated to each other and two met their demise before ever getting connected. Among which Janakpur line is the only surviving railway line in the country today. Necessary for an all rail lines overseeing body as well as a permanent organization structure to help in policy formulation, development and expansion of railway infrastructure and provide suggestions on railway services operation was felt in 2007 then subsequently the Department of Railways under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport was formed in 2011 AD.

Raxaul Amlekhgunj Railway line

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Further information: Nepal Government Railway

The first railway in Nepal was the Nepal Government Railway (NGR), a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway, built by the British in 1927, during the Rana period.[1] The railway connected Raxaul in British India with Amlekhganj in the Kingdom of Nepal.[2] This 39-kilometre-long (24 mi) 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 horse or on foot. The railway possessed seven steam locomotives, 12 coaches and 82 wagons.[3] It operated steam-powered Garratt locomotives manufactured by Beyer, Peacock & Company of England.[4] The Raxaul–Amlekhganj railway track was operational until 1965. It was closed down after opening of the Tribhuvan Highway.[5] The railway track from Raxaul was converted to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge in early 2000 to connect Sirsiya (Birganj) Inland Container Depot (ICD). 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 700 km (430 mi) from the Kolkata port by railway.

Track upgradation on Janakpur Jaynagar line.

Janakpur Jaynagar Railway line

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The second railway in the country was the Nepal Janakpur–Jainagar Railway (NJJR), a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway, built by the British in 1937, during the Rana period. This 28-mile-long (45 km) track was built to carry timber from the then heavily forested areas of Janakpur in the Kingdom of Nepal to Jainagar in British India.[6] The railway was later extended to Bijalpura.After a washout of the railway embankment and two bridges, the track between Janakpur and Bijayalpura (22 km railway line) was closed in 2001 then only the reaming section was in operation. The remaining Janakpur–Jainagar railway track was converted to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge in 2018. The extension to Bardibas remains under construction.[6]

Koshi Railway line

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The Koshi Railway was built in 1957 to carry stones and gravels near from Dharan and Chatara to the construction site of Koshi Barrage. The rail line was linked with Birpur and Bhimnagar in India. The material and machineries for the Koshi Barrage site used to import from this route from Bathnaha, which was also connected with Jogbani.[7]

Existing Railway Lines

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Currently there are three operational railway lines in the country:

Raxaul–Sirsiya railway line: This is a 6 km (3.7 mi) line from Raxaul, India to Sirsiya Inland Container Depot (or dry port) near Birganj, Nepal, and is primarily used for freight transport.[8] It allows container traffic to be imported to Nepal through the Sirsiya dry port container depot.[9]

Jaynagar Bardibas line near Janakpur

Jaynagar–Bardibas railway line: Out of its 68.7 km (42.7 mi) total line length from Jainagar, India to Bardibas, Nepal, currently trains are running on 52 km up to Bhangaha and is used primarily for passenger transport. This is the only passenger transport railway line in Nepal. It runs from Bhangaha to Siraha at the Nepal-India border and further goes to the Indian town of Jainagar, Bihar. Nepal Railway operates passenger train service on it.[10] In this line Bhangaha to Bardibas section has been left to be constructed. In the Jaynagar–Bhangaha (52 km) section now trains are running on a regular basis.

Jaynagar-Bardibas
Legend
km
 Station
objects
INR Ter. (JYG)
NRW Ter. (JYG)
3
India
Nepal
border
3.2
 Inarwa
7.8
 Khajuri
13.3
 Mahinathpur
17.7
 Baidehi
21.7
 Parbaha
23
Postal Highway
23.5
Jaladh khola
28.4
 Janakpurdham
33.1
 Kurtha
34.2
 Pipradhi
36.2
Bighi river
37.8
 Khutta Pipradhi
42.5
 Loharpatti
47.6
 Singyahi
51.2
 Bhangaha
51.8
Rato river
 Bijayalpura
Bardibas

Bathnaha–Biratnagar railway line: Freight transportation up to Budhnagar commenced. The eight-kilometre route from Bathnaha to the Integrated Check Post in Biratnagar was tested for operations in October, 2018.

Planned Railway Lines

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Railway Department has following lines under planned railways to be develop in future.

  • East-West Railway or Mechi-Mahakali Railway: The railway feasibility study has been done with total of 945.244 km (587.347 mi) which will expand through 24 districts in the total cost of $3 billion.[11]
  • 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.[12]
  • Jainagar-Janakpur–Bijayalpura-Bardibas: The Jainagar–Janakpur line is being extended further to Bardibas from Janakpur.[10]
  • Kathmandu-Kerung: 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, conducted a four-day overall study.[12]
  • Lumbini-Pokhara-Kathmandu: This will connect the popular tourist destination and adventurous city with the capital and the estimated cost is $3 billion.[12]
  • 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.[13] 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.[12][14][15][16]
  • New Jalpaiguri (India) – Kakarbhitta (Nepal)[17]
  • Bathnaha (India)- Jogbani (India) – Biratnagar (Nepal)[18][17] Of the total 18.6 km or 11.6 mi length of Bathnaha–Biratnagar railway line, the 10 km (6.2 mi) of line construction has been completed and remaining 8.6 km is under construction as of April 2022.[19][20][21]
  • Nautanwa (India) – Bhairahawa (Nepal)[17]
  • Rupaidiha, Nepalganj Road (India) – Nepalganj (Nepal)[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Aitchison, Sir Charles Umpherston (1929). A Collection of Treaties, Engagements and Sanads Relating to India and Neighboring Countries, Volume 14. Government of India Central Publication Branch. p. 47. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Railway in Nepal and it's [sic] scope". 20 February 2018. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Railroads". A Country Study: Nepal. The Library of Congress. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Garratt Locomotives produced by Beyer Peacock". Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  5. ^ A National Transport System for Nepal (PDF). Washington, D.C.: World Bank. June 1965. p. 22. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b "The Janakpur Railway - The longest railway line of Nepal". Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  7. ^ "report on the National Transport System for Nepal published in 1965" (PDF). world bank. 1965. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Nepal Railway Assessment". Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Introduction". customs.gov.np. Department of Customs dryport office, Government of Nepal. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  10. ^ a b Shashi, Shyamsundar (10 August 2018). "Indian goods train from Jainagar arrives in Janakpur". kathmandupost.com. KMG. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  11. ^ "EAST-WEST ELECTRIFIED RAILWAY PROJECT" (PDF). Project Bank-EWER.pdf. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d Tiwari, Nandalal. "The Talk Of Kerung-Kathmandu Railway". The Rising Nepal. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  13. ^ "India And Nepal To Speed Up Raxaul-Kathmandu Rail Project". 11 July 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  14. ^ "DoR says land acquisition a major hurdle". www.kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. Kantipur Publications. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  15. ^ "DoR starts construction of 10 railway tracks". thehimalayantimes.com. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  16. ^ Neupane, Suresh Raj (9 June 2019). "Raxaul-Kathmandu rail survey report is ready, Indian officials say". kathmandupost.com. KMG. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  17. ^ a b c d "India-Nepal Statement on Expanding Rail Linkages". MOFA- Point No. 4. April 7, 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  18. ^ Sah, Deo Narayan (6 October 2018). "Bathana-Biratnagar rail by October end". kathmandupost.com. KMG. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  19. ^ "Jaynagar-Kurtha Railway brings modernization in Nepal's railway connection, says Nepal Minister". ANI. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  20. ^ "IRCON invites tender for civil works at Biratnagar Station on Jogbani (India) to Biratnagar (Nepal) Railway Line". Metro Rail News. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Construction work resumes on Katahari-Bathnaha railway line". The Kathmandu Post. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
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