Nepal Railway Company Limited

The first railway in Nepal was the Nepal Government Railway (NGR), a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway, built by the British in 1927, during the Rana period.[2] The railway connected Raxaul in British India with Amlekhganj in the Kingdom of Nepal.[3] This 39-kilometre-long (24 mi) line allowed people from different areas of the country to reach Amlekhganj, and helped move heavy vehicles to Bhimphedi. It was then possible to reach Kathmandu from Bhimphedi on foot. The railway possessed seven steam locomotives, 12 coaches and 82 wagons.[4] It operated steam-powered Garratt locomotives manufactured by Beyer, Peacock & Company of England.[5]

The second railway in the country was the Nepal Janakpur–Jainagar Railway (NJJR), a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway, built by the British in 1937, during the Rana period. This 28-mile-long (45 km) track was built to carry timber from the then heavily forested areas of Janakpur in the Kingdom of Nepal to Jainagar in British India.[6] The railway was later extended to Bijalpura.

The Koshi Railway was built in 1957 to carry stones and gravels near from Dharan and Chatara to the new building site of the Koshi Barrage. The rail line was linked with Birpur and Bhimnagar in India. The material and machineries for the Koshi Barrage site used to import from this route from Bathnaha, which was also connected with Jogbani.[7]

The Raxaul–Amlekhganj railway track was operational until 1965. It was closed down after opening of the Tribhuvan Highway.[8] The railway track from Raxaul was converted to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge by Indian Railways to connect Sirsiya (Birganj) Inland Container Depot (ICD). The railway became fully operational in 2005, though certain segments were used as early as 2002. It is used to move containers and other cargo to and from the Kolkata port and other places in India. It is the most important entry point for imports into China, and is essential for Nepal's commerce and trade. Birganj is located 700 km (430 mi) from the Kolkata port by railway.

After a washout of the railway embankment and two bridges, the track between Janakpur and Bijayalpura (22 km railway line) was closed in 2001. The remaining Janakpur–Jainagar railway track was converted to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge in 2018. The extension to Bardibas remains under construction.[6]

Jaynagar-Bardibas
km Station objects INR Ter. (JYG) NRW Ter. (JYG) 3 India Nepal border 3.2 Inarwa 7.8 Khajuri 13.3 Mahinathpur 17.7 Baidehi 21.7 Parbaha 23 Postal Highway 23.5 Jaladh khola 28.4 Janakpurdham 33.1 Kurtha 34.2 Pipradhi 36.2 Bighi river 37.8 Khutta Pipradhi 42.5 Loharpatti 47.6 Singyahi 51.2 Bhangaha 51.8 Rato river Bijayalpura Bardibas

Jaynagar–Bardibas railway line (68 km or 42 mi) project is being completed in three phases.

1. Jaynagar–Janakpur–Kurtha line - completed:
   This 35 km or 22 mi track is already complete and trains are running on the regularly basis.[9]
2. Kurtha–Bijalpura:
   This 17 km or 11 mi track is also completed. Tracks has been laid and station buildings has been constructed.[9]
3. Bijalpura–Bardibas:
   The final 16 km or 9.9 mi route section has still not started the construction as the land acquisition by Government of Nepal is not yet complete as of April 2022.[10]

Of the total 18.6 km or 11.6 mi length of Bathnaha–Biratnagar railway line, the 10 km (6.2 mi) of line construction has been completed and remaining 8.6 km is under construction as of April 2022.[11][12][13]