JANAKPURDHAM: The recently resumed Kurtha–Janakpur–Jayanagar railway service is providing significant benefits to local residents near Janakpur and the Nepal-India border. The service, which had been fully suspended during the House of Representatives election, is now operating normally.
The Department of Railways purchased the train in 2019 from India’s state-owned Konkan Railway Corporation for NPR 846.5 million. Each train, consisting of five carriages, can carry 1,200–1,300 passengers at a time. The diesel-electric multiple units—DPC 1901 and DPC 1902—run on both diesel and electricity, each generating 1,600 horsepower.
Currently, the service operates only on the Kurtha–Janakpur–Jayanagar stretch, considered a national pride project. The construction of the East-West Electric Railway is nearly 90% complete in Sarlahi, according to the Lalbandi office of the project.
Although political parties, including the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), had promised full operation of the East-West Electric Railway in their manifestos, the project remains incomplete. The RSP’s plan emphasizes a 50-year master plan to expand Nepal’s rail network, with branch lines connecting major cities such as Kathmandu, Pokhara, Dang, and Surkhet, and linking Nepal to India and China.
Some sections of the Sarlahi stretch remain unfinished due to environmental and land issues. The Sagarnath and Murtiya forest offices have halted tree cutting, and some local farmers in Hariwan Municipality–5, Ghurkauli, have refused compensation, delaying track construction in certain areas.
Photo: Nepal Photo Library
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