Kathmandu, August 22
Nepal and India are likely to ink an agreement to establish rail links between Kathmandu and Raxaul, officials say.
The agreement, if things go according to plan, will be signed on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu next week. Although the Prime Ministers of the two countries have agreed in principle to construct the railway line, a formal agreement has not been signed between the two countries.
According to sources, the Railway Department prepared a draft agreement two months ago and forwarded it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the Ministry of Transport. The draft will soon be discussed in the Cabinet.”
“India has already conducted the project’s pre-feasibility study. The surveyors will submit their report in a few days,” said senior engineer Prakash Bhakta Upadhyaya of the Railway Department. According to the preliminary study, the railway line will connect Kathmandu’s Chobar with Raxaul in India.
According to sources, bridges and tunnels will have to be built on around 20 per cent of the 113-km track.
After the pre-feasibility report is ready, work on the DPR is likely to begin. The DPR is expected to take at least 15 months to complete. If things go according to plan, construction can only begin after two years.
