India, Nepal discuss cross-border rail connectivity

India and Nepal have held discussions on cross-border railway links, including passenger train services on the Janakpur-Ayodhya section, and bilateral cooperation in the sector, an official statement said.

The discussions between the two countries were part of the 10th Project Steering Committee and the 8th Joint Working Group meetings held here on June 11 and 12, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said on Friday.

The standard operating procedures for the commencement of passenger train services on the Janakpur-Ayodhya section was one of the focus points during the engagement between the two sides.

Nepal’s Janakpur – believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram’s wife Sita – is 220 kms southeast of Kathmandu and about 500-odd km east of Ayodhya and devotees from both sides visit the two places regularly in large numbers.

The meetings also discussed the Final Location Survey (FLS) report of Raxaul-Kathmandu broad gauge railway link; the implementation of the Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas and Jogbani-Biratnagar broad-gauge railway lines being developed with Indian assistance, the Embassy statement said.

Technical support for the East-West Railway Link – that connects the southern Terai districts of the Himalayan nation – was also part of the two-day discussion, it said.

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