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'Never Going Railway' Finally on the Track towards Modernisation

Jan Shanna writes from Kathmandu
***NepaTa railwaya would be more attractive in muaeuma becauae they exiat nowhere elae in the world
THE 47 kilometre Nepal Government Railway (NGK) Is better known as the "Never Going Railway
It Is one of the two narrow gauge transborder railways still running on steam which links Nepal to India. Built in 1927. the line has been cut back to Just 7 km today and Is badly in need of repair
The other link to India Is the 53-km Janakpur-Jayanagar Rallway (JJR). built in 1937 to supply timber for railroads in what was then British India
"Both these railways would be more attractive tn museums because they exist nowhere else in the world." says Gopal Man Shrestha, a former manager at JJR. half in jest
Indeed, with the advent of modern highways, the railways lost their attraction.
In order to boost commerce Nepal is now asking Indian help to develop a railway system linking Nepali border towns with the Indian railway system.
Although a firm commitment has yet to come. India has shown considerable interest in linking the Nepali capital to the north Indian township of -Raxaul. 250 km south of Kathmandu Indian officials say the project has a "fairly good chance" of pushing through.
Indian experts in 1990 found It feasible to have a rail ways link between Raxaul and Hetauda. a bustling Nepali township on the Himalayan foothills. Their report recom mended the Raxaul-Hetauda link as the first phase to be followed by a Hetauda-Kathmandu connection.
A high level Indian delegation visited last September to lay groundworks for feasibility studies, the delegation included MK Parthasarthy. advi sor to the Indian railway board, and officials of the Indian Railway Construction Company which has projects in Bangladesh. Malaysia and Indonesia.
Landlocked Nepal, which often has to fight for free passage to the sea port at Calcutta as a matter of right, sees such an electricity-run railway link particularly useful for uninterrupted transit right.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala says he wants to make use of Nepal s abundant hydroelectric potential for railways to cut down transportation costs.
Critics, however, have warned that such rail links with India, apart from security consideration, will further precipitate the migration of Indian labour to Nepal and eventually strengthen Indian dominance of trade and commerce
A team of Indian experts have also fund the project "exorbitant" in terms of capital Investment and coat returns The Raxaul Hetauda link to e» Umated to coat US910 million.
"Railways may be a costly capital Investment." says one official, "but think also of the enormous amount of Investment we are making In building roads and maintaining and repairing them with World Bank loans'
Nepals railways manage to increase their income by an average of 15 per cent a year. But half that Income In spent on buying coal. This leaves little for employees wages and maintenance work. The rising prices of coal and Its recurrent shortages and Irregular supplies from India have prompted sugges tions to replace steam engines with diesel or electric focomo fives
"With most equipment nearing the end of theli lives, the government would have to decide whether the railway Une Is to be run on modern lines or dismantled and replaced by roads." according to a study made by the Aslan Development Bank.
The study recommends the building of roads If Kathmandu was serious enough to develop Its transportation system. The ADB and the World Bank arc pumping several million dollars for the repair of roads linking Indian border towns to Kathmandu.
The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Centre for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) have strongly rec ommended an Intermadal container service for Nepal by using broad gauge railway flat cars
India s North Eastern Railway has completed a survey of the proposed Sunaull-Bhalrahawa (east Nepal) broad gauge rail link Nepali officials say the shortest and most cco nomlcal link would be the 550 km Calcutta Blrstnagar (on Nepal's side) line or the 556 km Calcutta-Kakarhhitta line
The latter route Is recommended by UNDP experts When a Japanese-aided road Unking Kathmandu Io SlndhuU to finished, it would reduce the link to Kakarhhltta by 173 km because It would open direct route to the east of Kathmandu Valley
UN experts have also recommended that container traffic was needed at the border points in Blratnagar in the east. Birjung In central Nepal and Bhairahawa — the three main routes linking Nepal to foreign trade.
— Depthnews Asia