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A broad-gauge railway line to the Indian town of Jogbani near the Nepal border is to come into operation from 31 March 2008.
Such a line has been considered essential for Nepal's international trade.
Indian railway officials informed a delegation from the Morang, district in eastern Nepal, Chamber of Commerce about the new rail service. Nepalese entrepreneurs have been demanding that such a line be brought into operation.
In the absence of a broad-gauge rail link, businessmen here have been importing raw materials from Sealdah in the Indian city of Kolkata in West Bengal state, eastern India, by truck and tanker. Once a broad-gauge railway line to Jogbani, which is linked to Biratnagar, comes into operation, freight charges will come down, thereby benefiting businessmen in the eastern region of Nepal.
Raw materials imported from third countries will now come straight to Jogbani from Kolkata by rail. According to the Morang Chamber of Commerce, the Indian government had proposed in 2004 to build such a broad-gauge rail link, but this could not happen on time because of internal political tensions in the government of the Indian state of Bihar. Morang Chamber of Commerce has said that construction work on the broad-gauge line has reached the final stages.
The total length of the Jogbani-Sealdah-Kolkata line, work on which started about two months ago, is about 108 km. Businessmen, who have been compelled to bring in goods from Kolkata port by truck and container, are enthused by the prospect of a rail service.
The broad-gauge railway will add a new dimension to the region. He said once the rail service starts, transport costs will decrease and the fear of pilferage and strikes affecting the import of raw materials will also end.
In the course of expanding the rail service, movement on this line will be halted for a few days from 1 January. Assurances have been given that the Jogbani railway station infrastructure will be upgraded in Nepalese style.
Once the broad-gauge rail service comes into operation, Jogbani will be linked directly to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and other main cities of India. This will help pilgrims, students, people seeking medical treatment in India and businessmen from Nepal. Along with the broad-gauge railway service, additional rail and other facilities will also be provided.
CargonewAsia
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