Kathmandu, May 7

High-level authorities of Nepal and China have agreed to conduct a pre-feasibility study of Kathmandu-Kyirong railway project.

A high-level delegation from Nepal had gone to China to hold discussions on railway project on April 29 and had returned last week.

The authorities of both the countries agreed to conduct and submit the pre-feasibility report within August.

“We discussed various aspects of Kathmandu-Kyirong railway project and agreed to grant the permission to conduct the pre-feasibility study to China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group (CRFSDIG),” said Madhusudan Adhikari, secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT).

“The Chinese technical team and members of Department of Railways (DoRW) will also provide the necessary support to CRFSDIG for the pre-feasibility study,” he stated.

The CRFSDIG will collect all the relevant information, including the geographical details and prepare the pre-feasibility report.

“Nepal and China have committed to build the project, even though it is highly complex and challenging,” said Adhikari.

Adhikari further added that the report will suggest the financial and technical modalities of the project.

To hold the discussions on the railway project, Adhikari had led a six-member team to China. The other members of the high-level team included Ananta Acharya, director general of DoRW; Prakash Bhakta Upadhyaya, senior divisional engineer and spokesperson for DoRW; two joint secretaries from MoPIT and one representative from Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

After the field study in November, a Chinese technical team led by Jhang Lee Yang, deputy administrator of National Railway Administration, had suggested that the project was technically feasible.

Also, Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, during his visit to the northern neighbour last month, had signed an agreement with the Chinese railway authorities to conduct the detailed feasibility study (DFS) utilising the Chinese support.

Meanwhile, the Chinese railway authorities have already conducted initial study of the railway project and estimated it would cost about Rs 69 billion to build the project.

The planned railway network from China has currently reached Shigatse, the Tibetan autonomous region and it is expected to reach Kyirong by 2022.

Kyirong is located at a distance of 540 kilometres from Shigatse.

The next high-level meeting is to be held in Kathmandu, although the time and date have not been fixed yet. According to Adhikari, however, the meeting is likely to be held around August.