Nepal, China sign pact on rail link
KATHMANDU: Nepal and China on Thursday signed an agreement on conducting a feasibility study for extending the Chinese railway network to Kathmandu during Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s official visit to Beijing.
India had recently announced it too will expand its railway network from Raxual to Kathmandu. It also said it would complete the construction within five years after completing a survey within a year.
Chinese authorities plan to extend their network from Shigatse to Kerung, the Chinese port located closest to the border, within five years.
Nepal and China had agreed in principle to expand the railway network beyond the border during a visit by Oli in 2016. According to the agreement finalised on Thursday, the link will be for electric cargo trains and not passenger trains.
Nepal’s minister for physical infrastructure and transport, Raghubir Mahaseth, and his Chinese counterpart Li Xiaopeng signed the MoU on conducting the feasibility study for the crossborder railway link.
Following delegation-level talks between Oli and Premier Li Keqiang, the two sides signed 14 different agreements, including one on constructing a railway network in Nepal based on the trade and transit agreement inked two years ago.
Mahaseth and Li signed a protocol on the use of highways in Tibet Autonomous Region by Nepal for transporting cargo. Nepal can use the Tibetan highways to ferry goods to its northern belt located in difficult terrain to ferry from various cities and trading points.