Indian officials are exploring five options for a railway to neighbouring Nepal, speeding up efforts after China opened its first rail link to Tibet last year, a report said Saturday.
The proposed lines will run from Nepalgunj road in Uttar Pradesh to Nepalgunj (12 km), Nautuna to Bhairahawa (15 km), Jayanagar to Bardibas (70 km), Jogban to Biratnagar (17 km) and New Jalpaigudi to Kakarvitta (46 km).
Former deputy prime minister KP Sharma Oli during his visit to India had urged his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee to provide Indian assistance for the construction of east-west railway.
A high-level Indian official said a study had found the need to extend the railway service to five cities in Nepal that lie on Indo-Nepal border.
Engineering and traffic report of Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) pointed the need to extend railway services to the Nepali cities, a high-level official of Indian Railway Ministry said.
Conclusion will be drawn after carrying out a feasibility study soon, the source said.
Rail line will be extended to one of the routes immediately after the economic and technical feasibility study leads to an agreement between the governments of India and Nepal, the official at the Railway ministry said.
“Though it is not possible from economic and technical point of view to extend Chinese railway via Tibet to Nepal, India can provide rail links to Nepal,” the official said, adding, “We are doing the groundwork to extend rail lines to the Nepal cities bordering India.”
Meanwhile, Pipabhav Railway Corporation recently completed a traffic survey for the extension of railway on Raksaul to Kathmandu route. Raksaul to Kathmandu route is another possible project.
Pipabhav Railway Corporation had carried out preliminary study to transport goods on Kathmandu-Birgunj-Raksaul route.
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