Kathmandu, 28 December 2022 (TDI): Chinese experts arrived in the Nepali capital Kathmandu on Tuesday for a feasibility study of the China-Nepal cross-border railway. The Nepali side describes this move as a new step for the project.
The six-member team was greeted at the airport by Wang Xin, Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal. He was accompanied by Aman Chitrakar, Nepal’s Department of Railways Spokesperson.
In this respect, Chitrakar said, “Chinese expert team has arrived in Kathmandu for the feasibility study of the China-Nepal railway”. He added, “we must say that we have taken a new step for our feasibility work”.
Additionally, the Spokesperson said, “China has achieved progress in railways, and this project is not easy for us. There are many technical challenges”.
He added, “But on the other hand, if we look at their expertise and technological advancement so far, we are confident that this project will be successful, and Nepal and China will become closer with the railway.”
Furthermore, the feasibility study of the cross-border railway, which links the Chinese border town of Kerung with Kathmandu, shall be conducted by China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group.
The team leader of the feasibility study project, Feng Dequan, stated, “As the first batch of experts, our arrival in Kathmandu marks new progress in the feasibility study project”.
Moreover, the cross-border railway project crosses the Himalayas, where terrain and geological conditions are extremely complex. But despite all this, Feng described it as a project with “world-class engineering difficulties.”
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The team underlined that they would utilize China’s advanced technology and rich experience in building railways in difficult and complex mountainous and plateau areas.
Likewise, the team will closely cooperate with top scientific research institutions in China and Nepal. They will work together with Nepalese engineers to overcome difficulties and carry out the technical research work well for the project”.
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During the official visit to China by then Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka in August, the Chinese side had conveyed its plans for the arrival of a technical team to Kathmandu for the feasibility study.
However, the proposed 72-kilometer railway was agreed upon during the Nepal visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2019.
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