The Janakpur-Jayanagar train owned by the Nepal Railway Company has run on its tracks for the second time in two years.
The Indian Railways handed over the train to the Nepal railway Company on October 21, 2020. Since then, the train has only been taken round its tracks two times, the second time being on Saturday when it was driven as part of a test.
In November last year, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Renu Kumari Yadav had informed that the laws necessary for operating the train had been formulated and that it would come into service soon. However, that has not yet happened.
The Railway Company has two trains to operate on the Kurtha (Janakpur)-Jayanagar route. The prolonged inactivity had damaged both the trains’ batteries, pistons and generators. According to the Company, the trains’ engines were repaired before testing on Saturday and now everything is in working order.
The Company stated that the Indian and Nepali prime ministers would jointly launch the rail service. However, it did not mention a date for the launching stating that it would be fixed as per the availability of both the leaders.
When purchasing the locomotives, Nepal Railway had agreed to pay Rs. 220 million annually to Indian Railways. Of that amount, Nepal has paid Rs. 70 million to date without carrying a single passenger.
Source : TRN,
