India and Nepal have reached a new agreement to boost rail‑freight traffic between the two neighbors. The deal opens the Jogbani–Biratnagar rail corridor for both containerised and bulk cargo, making it easier to move goods from the Indian ports of Kolkata and Visakhapatnam directly into Nepal’s customs yard near Biratnagar.
The pact, signed on Thursday, expands the definition of bulk cargo and covers key transit routes such as Kolkata–Jogbani, Kolkata–Sunauli (Nautanwa), and Visakhapatnam–Sunauli. It also strengthens multimodal trade links, allowing Nepal to trade more readily with third countries.
India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Nepal’s trade minister Anil Kumar Sinha swapped a Letter of Exchange that amends the Protocol to the Treaty of Transit between the two nations. The letter gives the Jogbani‑Biratnagar line direct rail access, a link that was built with Indian grant assistance and formally opened by both prime ministers on June 1, 2023.
Officials also highlighted ongoing projects to improve cross‑border connectivity, including Integrated Check Posts and other infrastructure upgrades. The new rail agreement is part of a broader push to deepen economic ties—India remains Nepal’s biggest trading and investment partner.
Shortly before the rail talks, India and Nepal signed agreements on October 29 to create joint venture companies for high‑capacity cross‑border power transmission. The ventures, set up by India’s Powergrid and Nepal’s Electricity Authority, aim to build new power lines between the two countries. The agreements were signed by Union Power Minister Manohar Lal and Nepal’s Energy Minister Kulman Ghising. These steps together signal a growing partnership that spans both freight transport and energy cooperation.
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