India and Nepal are moving fast on starting cross border railway links. The two countries held the Fifth Joint Working Group (JWG) and the Seventh Project Steering Committee (PSC) meetings earlier this week to review the status of ongoing cross-border railway links and overall bilateral cooperation in the railway sector.

An official statement said that both countries have signed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for start of passenger train services on the Jaynagar in India to Kurtha in Nepal section and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Final Location Survey (FLS) of the proposed broad gauge railway line between Raxaul and Kathmandu.

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The technical preparedness of the completed 34 km long section of the Jaynagar-Kurtha line for operationalization of passenger train services was also reviewed.

The SOPs provide the technical aspects of running passenger trains on the new section and will serve as a guiding document for early start of rail services in the upcoming cross-border railway links with Nepal. The proposed Raxaul-Kathmandu broad gauge railway line will further boost connectivity between India and Nepal.

Connectivity is one area that the two neighbours are working on.

With India and Nepal sharing an open border policy, connectivity between the two are of immense importance, an insider said.