KATHMANDU: India is willing to start work on the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Kathmandu-Raxaul Railway.

India has shown willingness to move ahead with the work of DPR of the railway in a letter written to Nepal.

According to Director General of the Railway Department, Balram Mishra, the Indian team is ready to come to Nepal to prepare the DPR before a formal understanding is reached with Nepal.

The Department has requested to send details to India in a formal format on how to proceed a work.

India is ready to allow them to come and work in Nepal after sending various details including the names of those who come in formal format.

India has already allocated the required budget for the DPR of the railway, said an official of the Railway Department.

Nepal had sent a formal proposal to India on the DPR of the railway a few months ago.

According to Director General Mishra, a formal understanding will be initiated between the two sides once the DPR starts.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Nepal and India on 31 August 2020 for the preliminary feasibility study of the Raxaul-Kathmandu Railway.

The Indian Railway Technician had started the preliminary feasibility study on June 8, 2018.

India has already given the report of the preliminary engineering and traffic survey of this railway to Nepal.

According to a preliminary report prepared by the Indian company Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), the length of the proposed Raxaul-Kathmandu railway will be 136 kilometers.

Mishra said that it was proposed to build this railway from Nijgadh to Khokna. Preliminary reports have come that the inter-country railway connecting with India will be built on broad gauge.

However, the government of Nepal has been urging to build the railway in standard gauge.

The proposed railway will have a tunnel in about 40 km section. Railways have to be built within 40 kilometers of the tunnel. It is seen that about 35 bridges have to be built in different places.