India delivers Nepal with a report on the railway connecting Raxaul and Kathmandu.
India has submitted the final location survey report of the Raxaul-Kathmandu railway line to Nepal for review and consideration. The report was prepared by India’s Konkan Railway Corporation Limited and handed over to Nepal’s Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transportation. The proposed railway line, which will connect Raxaul in India to Kathmandu, is expected to cost around $3 billion, excluding land compensation.
Nepal’s Department of Railways is currently examining the report and will deliberate on the execution and implementation of the project. The railway line will be based on broad-gauge, allowing for a maximum speed of 160 km per hour. The railway will pass through several locations, including Birganj, Manharwa, and Sisneri, among others.
The project’s internal rate of return is 4.81%, and it is estimated that it will take 25 years to become profitable. The railway will have 42 km of tunnels and will require the construction of 124 large bridges and 40 curves.
The railway will facilitate the transportation of goods between India and Nepal and is seen as a strategic project with various advantages for both countries. The MoU for the rail link’s preliminary engineering cum traffic survey was signed in August 2018, and another MoU for conducting the final location study was signed in October 2021.
