In the first phase of the Jainagar-Bardiwas rail project, Indian Railways completed a trial run at 110 kilometres per hour on the newly converted territory between Jainagar and Kurtha in Nepal. The Eastern Central Railway (ECR) has completed the new rail line between Jainagar in Bihar’s Madhubani district and Kurtha in the Dhanusa district of Nepal, and conducted a high-speed train trial run on the section earlier this week.
The government-funded rail project was constructed keeping in mind an effort to decrease its carbon footprint. The train service, as announced by the Indian Ministry of Railways, is expected to facilitate movement between the two countries, boost trade, and develop the surrounding areas.
The rail line section is 34.90 kilometres long. According to the Railway Ministry, the extension was supposed to reach Bijalpura in March 2021. The Indian government spent approximately ₹550 crores for the section of the road leading up to Bijalpura, which is 17 kilometres away from Kurtha. Upon receiving the land for the project from the Nepal government, the ministry decided that the new railway line will be developed until Bardibas.
Jainagar lies 4 kilometres from the border, in between India and Nepal. At a distance of 29 kilometres from Jainagar lies Janakpur, a pilgrimage centre famous in Nepal. The project had been undertaken by IRCON International Limited, and all rail engineering and infrastructure work was already completed. The Konkan Railway Corporation Limited provided two sets of 1600 horsepower Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMU) passenger rakes to run trains along this railroad route. The two DEMU rakes that were handed over to Nepal on September 18, 2020 were equipped with two air-conditioned coaches each, in addition to non-AC coaches.
Read more: Centre Proposes 23 Bills For Lok Sabha Consideration
In Nepal, this is said to be the first Broad Gauge passenger rail service. Prior to this, a narrow-gauge service was running between Jainagar and Janakpur till the year 2014. In all, there are five stations in this section of the railway – Jainagar, Inarwa, Khajuri, Baidehi and Kurtha. According to a government press release, the highest fare for the general classification will be ₹70 and the highest fare for AC will be ₹300. The train is expected to run at 115 kilometres per hour and complete the trip in 23 minutes.
