Kerung-Kathmandu railway detailed feasibility study report in 42 months

The visiting Chinese experts team is hopeful to overcome difficulties in construction of Kerung-Kathmandu railway, and submit the detailed feasibility study report in 42 months.

The cross-border railway crosses the Himalayas, where terrain and geological conditions are extremely complex," a Chinese railway expert Feng Dequan has been quoted by China's Xinhua News Agency as saying, "The project has world-class engineering difficulties."

Feng-led six-member Chinese experts team came to Nepal on Tuesday to carry out feasibility study of the cross-border railway.

However, unlikely to the earlier Chinese experts team, the team led by Feng, said that they will closely work with the Nepali side to overcome difficulties to construct trans-Himalayan railway.

The cross-border railway project, which is proposed to be built under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), will connect Tibetan Autonomous Region of China with Kathmandu.

Feng said that his team will make full use of China's advanced technology and rich experience in constructing railways in difficult and complex mountainous and plateau areas, closely cooperate with top scientific research institutions in China and Nepal.

"As the first batch of experts, our arrival in Kathmandu marks new progress in the feasibility study project," Xinhua quoted Feng as saying. 

The feasibility study that will be carried out by the China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group, is estimated to take at least 42 months. 

Likewise, the estimated cost for the feasibility study of the 72-km cross-border railway is also expected to be around Rs 3.4 billion.

China has already linked Kerung with the Lhasa-Shigatse railway line on the Chinese side. Extending the railway line cross border from Shigatse, China is keen on linking it to Kathmandu and Lumbini.

But according to the Department of Railways, the railway line will originate from Kerung and connect Kathmandu via Rasuwagadhi.

The Chinese team is expected to complete the study and submit its report in next 42 months, according to the director general at the Department of Railways Rohit Kumar Bisural.

"As previously agreed, the team will conduct the study at its own expense and Nepal will provide them security and facilitation,” he said, adding that the project is expected to move forward. "The Chinese team held a consultation with us in this regard."

The study of the railway line will be carried out in such a way that the track will bifurcate towards Nepal from the railway track going towards Mansarovar of Tibet from a lake above Kerung, Bisural claimed.

Earlier, the Chinese government had sent a Letter of Undertaking (LoU) - that was approved by Nepal on December 22 - to Nepal on the basis of an agreement reached five years ago.

The Department of Railways forwarded the document to the Finance Ministry for necessary action but it was delayed for a long time due to various reasons, the department complained.

The pre-feasibility study of the railway was conducted in November 2018 and an agreement for carrying out the feasibility study was reached during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Nepal a year later on October 12-13 in 2019.

Likewise, a memorandum of understanding (MoU), for expediting the feasibility study, was also reached during the visit of Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi's to Nepal in March 2022. However, Covid-19 pandemic delayed the feasibility study of railway project.

Though, Nepal and China held discussion after the National Railway Administration of China submitted the preliminary study report to the government, the feasibility study report will pave the way to do further action.

The detailed feasibility study will be based on the pre-feasibility study report that had incorporated geographical study from Kathmandu-Kerung via Trishuli, topographical features, among others.

According to the preliminary report, construction of the trans Himalayan railway is not going to be easy due to complex geographical territory. "Most of the railway line will be inside the tunnel," the report reads, adding that some 99 per cent of the railway line will be inside Nepal."

However, for the operation of cross-border railway, Transit and Transport Agreement - one of the important documents - was also signed during the China visit of President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

Trans Himalaya Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network and Nepal-China Cross-Border Railway is expected to be great help for Nepal in expansion of connectivity network with the northern neighbour.