First broad-gauge passenger railway link thrown open between India, Nepal

PTI, Apr 3, 2022, 10:42 AM IST

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New Delhi: In a historic move to boost connectivity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday inaugurated the first broad-gauge passenger railway service connecting Bihar’s Jayanagar with Nepal’s Kurtha region.

The two prime ministers virtually flagged off the train service after holding extensive talks that focused on significantly expanding cooperation in a range of key areas including trade, investment, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges.

Deuba arrived in New Delhi on Friday in his first bilateral visit abroad after becoming prime minister for the fifth time in July 2021. The Jayanagar-Kurtha section is part of the Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas rail link and the project is being implemented with grant assistance of Rs 548 crore from India. Following the talks between Modi and Deuba, the two sides also signed an agreement on enhancing technical cooperation in the railway sector.

”The introduction of the Jayanagar-Kurtha rail line is a part of this. Such schemes will make a great contribution to smooth, hassle-free exchange between the people of the two countries,” Prime Minister Modi said in his media statement.

The Jaynagar-Kurtha section is 35 km long and 3 km of which lies in Bihar and the rest in Nepal. The section consists of eight stations namely Jaynagar in India, Inarwa (border station), Khajuri, Mahinathpur, Baidehi, Parwaha, Janakpur and Kurtha.

It is the first broad-gauge passenger rail link between the two countries, opening an entirely new dimension for cross-border connectivity. Till 2014, this was an existing rail service on a metre-gauge rail link between Jaynagar and Janakpur.

Each train is expected to have a capacity of 1,000 passengers and it will be run at an average speed of 40 km per hour, people familiar with the project said adding it will take one hour to reach Janakpur/ Kurtha from Jaynagar.

The schedule and frequency of the train service are not yet known. The train will be operated by Nepal Railway Company (NRC), with the assistance of Konkan Railway Corporation Limited and the IRCON or Indian Railway Construction Limited.

The agreement on enhancing technical cooperation in the railway sector envisages cooperation on capacity building for Nepal’s railway personnel through technology and knowledge transfer.

It also provides for their training both in India and by developing training institutes, maintenance depots, and workshops in Nepal.

The pact also has provisions for India to extend technical support to Nepal for railway systems, operation and maintenance, and cooperation in IT sector related to railway transportation and services. Officials said a joint working group will be established under the MoU to provide guidance and support for the implementation of the cooperation activities.

V K Tripathi, the chairman of the Indian Railway Board, exchanged the MoU with Rabindra Nath Srestha, Secretary of Nepal’s Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.

In his remarks, Modi said India has been a firm partner in the journey of peace, progress, and development of Nepal and will always remain so.

”The friendship of India and Nepal, the relationships of our people, such an example is not seen anywhere else in the world. Our civilization, our culture, the threads of our exchanges; are connected since ancient times,” Modi said.