Senior government officials from Nepal and India on Monday agreed to seal

the Memorandum of Understanding for Preliminary Engineering cum Traffic Survey of the Raxaul-Kathmandu rail line as soon as possible.

Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) Joint Secretary Keshab Kumar Sharma and India’s Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary (DPA-III) Namgya Khampa took part in the meeting.

India has despatched the text of the MoU of Raxaul-Kathmandu railway line.

During the meeting both sides agreed to put concerted efforts and resolve all issues expeditiously, to complete the railway lines from Jayanagar to Janakpur-Kurtha and from Jogbani to Biratnagar Customs Yard by the October 2018 time line.

Apart from Raxaul-Kathmandu railway line, India has already started building five cross border railway lines between Nepal and India. One line from Jayanagar to Janakpur-Kurtha will be completed within a year.

The meeting also agreed to take forward work in the remaining stretches of the two rail projects from Kurtha-Bijalpura-Bardibas and from Biratnagar Customs Yard-Biratnagar sections on priority, according to the statement.

The meeting appreciated the work undertaken in the final location survey (FLS) for the remaining three rail links, New Jalpaiguri-Kakarbhitta, Nautanwa-Bhairahawa, and Nepalgunj Road-Nepalgunj which are to be implemented under Phase-II.

An Indian team has conducted the first round of survey for the railway.

Nepal and India had agreed to construct railway line linking Raxaul with Kathmandu during Prime Minister K P Oli Sharma’s visit to India.

After the PM’s meeting, “The Nepali side conveyed its deep appreciation for the support of Government of India in the development of the India-Nepal Cross Border Rail Links, which would enhance people-to-people linkages between the two countries and promote economic growth and development in the region.

“The India side expressed its appreciation for the government of Nepal’s commitment to expeditiously resolve all the outstanding issues including making available remaining land required for completion of the ongoing rail link projects.”