9th Project Steering Committee ​​of India and Nepal

​​Mar 05: India and Nepal held the 9th Project Steering Committee (PSC) and the 7th Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings from 27-28 February 2025 in New Delhi, to review the implementation of ongoing cross-border railway links and overall bilateral cooperation in the railway sector. The Indian delegation was led by Sh. Rohit Rathish, Joint Secretary (DPA-III), Ministry of External Affairs and JWG by Sh. Pradeep Ojha, Executive Director (Traffic Transportation-Freight), Ministry of Railways; the Nepali side was led by Mr. Sushil Babu Dhakal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, for both meetings.

Both sides discussed the ongoing works of Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas and Jogbani-Biratnagar broad gauge railway lines between India and Nepal, being developed with grant assistance from the Government of India. The preparedness for the commencement of work on the remaining sections of the two railway lines i.e. from Bijalpura to Bardibas on Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas and Nepal Custom Yard to Biratnagar on Jogbani-Biratnagar was also reviewed. The Nepali side assured us that necessary facilitation would be provided for the early commencement and completion of the work on the remaining sections of the railway lines.

The Final Location Survey (FLS) Report of the Raxaul-Kathmandu Broad Gauge Railway Link, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the commencement of passenger train services on the Janakpur-Ayodhya section and additional railway links were also discussed. Both sides agreed to enhance technical cooperation in the railway sector, including in the areas of capacity building, logistic support, and training of Nepali railway personnel.

On the sidelines of the JWG and PSC meetings, the Nepali delegation also visited the Indian Railways Institute of Transport Management (IRITM), Lucknow, and Ayodhya to view and understand the facilities available for training of railway personnel and officials from Nepal.

Disclaimer: We donot claim that the images used as part of the news published are always owned by us. From time to time, we use images sourced as part of news or any related images or representations. Kindly take a look at our image usage policy on how we select the image that are used as part of the news.