Kathmandu, March 18

The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) has sought Rs 17 billion from the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to conduct the detailed feasibility study (DFS) of the much-hyped 75-kilometre-long Trans Himalayan Kathmandu- Kyirong railway.

A joint team of Nepali and Chinese engineers is scheduled to start conducting DFS and detailed project report simultaneously from end of this month and MoPIT has sought assurance of sufficient funds from Finance Ministry for the purpose.

Madhusudan Adhikari, secretary at MoPIT, informed that the Finance Ministry needs to allocate the said amount in the budget for next fiscal year.

He further explained that the Chinese government has made a commitment to finance the DFS but the Nepali government needs to separate that amount in its budget.

“This means that Rs 17 billion needs to be separated from the total Chinese assistance that government will receive in the next fiscal for the project,” said Adhikari.

Earlier, a joint team comprising Nepali and Chinese consultants had submitted the pre-feasibility report of the railway project on August 10 last year. The report had stated that the Trans Himalayan cross-border electrified railway project is feasible. Since then, both nations have already held three rounds of discussions.

The government had earlier proposed to the Chinese government to conduct the detailed feasibility study and detailed project report of the project through Chinese investment. The Chinese government has agreed to the proposal and has said it will bear all the cost that is incurred for the study.

Meanwhile, MoPIT has also sought a budget of Rs seven billion for the Kathmandu-Birgunj electric railway.

Adhikari said that due to budget constraint, the feasibility study work of Kathmandu-Birgunj railway has not been conducted although the project’s pre-feasibility study has already been carried out with assistance from the Indian government.

The railway will directly link Kathmandu with Birgunj, the major trading hub of the country. Likewise, it will boost connectivity between Kathmandu and Tarai. “Once the railway project is completed it will provide a cheaper, safer, faster and more environmentally friendly alternate route to people,” he stated.