Nepal Railway Company Limited
The Nepal Railway Company Ltd. (in short Nepal Railway), reporting mark: NRW / ने. रे) is a state-owned company under Department of Railways (DORW) which operates passenger train services in Nepal. Currently it operates passenger transport service on the line from Jainagar, India to Kurtha, Nepal. History. There were three railway lines in Nepal, all narrow gauge lines: Nepal Government Railway. The first railway in Nepal was the Nepal Government Railway (NGR), a narrow gauge railway, built by the British in 1927, during the Rana period. The railway connected Raxaul in British India with Amlekhganj in  the Kingdom of Nepal. This line allowed people from different areas of the country to reach Amlekhganj, and helped move heavy vehicles to Bhimphedi. It was then possible to reach Kathmandu from Bhimphedi on foot. The railway possessed seven steam locomotives, 12 coaches and 82 wagons. It operated steam-powered Garratt locomotives manufactured by Beyer, Peacock & Company of England. Nepal Janakpur Jaynagar Railway. The second railway in the country was the Nepal Janakpur–Jainagar Railway (NJJR), a narrow gauge railway, built by the British in 1937, during the Rana period. This track was built to carry timber from the then  heavily forested areas of Janakpur in the Kingdom of Nepal to Jainagar in British India. The railway was later extended to Bijalpura. Koshi Railway. The Koshi Railway was built in 1957 to carry stones and gravels near from Dharan and Chatara to the new building site of the Koshi Barrage. The rail line was linked with Birpur and Bhimnagar in India. The material and machineries for the Koshi Barrage site used to import from this route from Bathnaha, which was also connected with Jogbani. The Raxaul–Amlekhganj railway track was operational until 1965. It was closed down after opening of  the Tribhuvan Highway. The railway track from Raxaul was converted to broad gauge by Indian Railways to connect Sirsiya (Birganj) Inland Container Depot (ICD). The railway became fully operational in 2005, though certain segments were used as early as 2002. It is used to move containers and other cargo to and from the Kolkata port and other places in India. It is the most important entry point for imports into China, and is essential for Nepal's commerce and trade. Birganj is located from the Kolkata port by railway. After a washout of the railway embankment and two bridges, the  track between Janakpur and Bijayalpura (22 km railway line) was closed in 2001. The remaining Janakpur–Jainagar railway track was converted to broad gauge in 2018. The extension to Bardibas remains under construction. The Jaynagar–Bardibas rail line project is being completed in three phases. Current Railway Lines. The Jaynagar–Janakpur–Kurtha () phase of this project is already completed and trains are running on the regularly basis. The Kurtha–Bijalpura () section is also completed. Tracks has been laid and station buildings has been constructed. The third phase Bijalpura–Bardibas () section is still not started. The land acquisition by the Government  of Nepal is not yet completed. Bathnaha-Biratnagar Railway Line () is still under construction, the of line construction has been completed and balance is under construction. Incidents. In August 2012, a serious incident occurred when a locomotive ran away without bogies while a driver was putting in oil. The locomotive ran from Jainagar to Janakpur at speeds far exceeding the restrictions on the line, resulting in the normally two-and-a-half hours journey of taking only 45 minutes. The staff at Janakpur diverted the locomotive engine onto a damaged track where its wheels became stuck in the ground and  it came to a full stop without causing any injuries. Future. Nepal Railway plans to extend its service beyond Janakpur in future. It is going to operate to Bijayalpura very soon, up to where infrastructures are operational and up to Bardibas in the near future where rail infrastructures are under construction by Department of Railways.