India, Nepal Advance Janakpur-Ayodhya Passenger Rail Link

India and Nepal wrapped up two days of talks on cross-border railway links, focusing on a passenger train service between Janakpur and Ayodhya. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said Friday that the meetings, held June 11 and 12, covered standard operating procedures for that route.

Janakpur lies 220 km southeast of Kathmandu. Ayodhya is roughly 500 km west. The two cities draw large numbers of religious pilgrims from both countries. A direct rail service would cut the current road journey time significantly, though no start date was announced.

The discussions also touched the final location survey for the Raxaul-Kathmandu broad-gauge line, the embassy said. That route would give Kathmandu a direct rail connection to the Indian border, reducing overland freight costs for landlocked Nepal. Two other broad-gauge projects – Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas and Jogbani-Biratnagar – are already under construction with Indian assistance.

Technical support for the East-West Railway Link, which runs through Nepal's southern Terai districts, was also on the agenda. The embassy did not provide a timeline for any of the projects.

The talks were formalised under the 10th Project Steering Committee and the 8th Joint Working Group. No company-specific contracts or investment figures were disclosed.