Govt looking to expedite Barhni-Kathmandu rail project
New Delhi: The government is looking to expedite the proposed Barhni-Kathmandu railway project and is awaiting Nepal's concurrence for the inter-governmental agreement.
Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi told the Lok Sabha that the External Affairs Ministry is following up with Nepal and is looking to expedite the process for the project.
During the Question Hour, he also said that survey for the five kilometers of the line in Indian territory has been completed.
The survey for new broad gauge line from Barhni, in Uttar Pradesh, to Kathmandu was sanctioned in 2015-16.
In a written reply, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said work on the proposed project can start only after the intergovernmental MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) is signed, for which concurrence/comment of the Nepal government is required.
In September 2016, the Indian government shared a draft MoU with the Nepal government regarding reconnaissance engineering-cum-traffic survey of the proposed broad gauge line.
"However, no response has been received from the Government of Nepal on this proposal till date," Goyal said.
