By CK Khanal

Kathmandu, Feb 1:  Following the 2017 polls that ensured political stability in Nepal, a remarkable progress has been made in railway development. Around half dozen railway projects, including Metrorail and Monorail are in the offing.
Railway service in Jayanagar-Kurtha section is going to start within a few months while construction works along the Nijgadh-Bardibas section of Mechi Mahakli Electrified Railway Project has started.
Similarly, other few railway and Metrorail projects are in the process of preparing the detailed project report (DPR) in cooperation with India and China.
Balaram Mishra, director general of the Department of Railways (DoR), said that the railway service in Jayanagar-Kurtha section of Jayanagar-Bijalpur Railway would begin within a few months.
With the recent go-ahead of the government to hire foreign workers to operate the railway service, the DoR is planning to bring the service into operation within a few months by managing required human resources, he said.
“Management of human resource was only the remaining task for the operation of the railway service in Jayanagar-Kurtha section, therefore we can bring service into operation within a few months after managing the human resources,” he said.
Through a Cabinet decision, the government recently gave green signal to hire up to 26 skilled employees from other countries required for the operation of the railway service.
Mishra said that other two important structures--railway tracks and station, and train sets--essential for the operation of the railway service, are almost ready as of now.
He said that the service in the section of Jayanagar-Kurtha would begin in a few months and it would be extended up to Bijalpura by the end of current fiscal year.
He said that the demo train sets for which the department had initiated procurement process from India were ready in the factory and would arrive in Nepal soon. The department was purchasing two train sets comprising five coaches.
The DoR is also planning to operate railway in Bathanaha-Biratnagar section from the current fiscal year. The track of the railway is already in place.
Similarly, construction works on Mechi-Mahakali Electrified Railway Project has started in Nijgadh-Bardibas section. So far, around 30 kilometre track bed and one bridge have already been constructed in this section.
In addition, 80 per cent foundation works of six bridges have been completed in the same section while works of another one bridge has reached the final stage, he said.

Work to prepare the detailed project report in Nijgadh-Bharatpur section of the project passing through Chitwan National Park has also been started. The DPRs of all other sections of the project have already been prepared.
Similarly, there has been some progress in another railway project linking industrial city Birgunj to capital city Kathmandu. In this project, the Indian side has already submitted a preliminary study report to the government and both sides are in discussion for the detailed study of the project.
The DoR is also working to develop Metrorail in the Kathmandu Valley. The department has already signed an agreement with a Consultant Company to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) on Satdobato-Tripureshwor-Maharajgunj Metrorail.
Similarly, process to select consultant for the Budhanilkantha-Maharajgunj and Satdobato-Khokana Metrorail project has also stared, said Sumod Pokharel, an engineer at the DoR.
Some development has been made in another proposed railway project that links the capital city Kathmandu with Rasuwagadhi, the bordering point with China.
Through a ministerial level meeting, Nepal and China have finalised the tasks that should be performed from their sides and China has assured to start detailed study of the project soon.