Transport in Nepal

Nepal is a landlocked mountainous country where transportation is difficult due to the terrain.

Road

Road is the country's primary transport mode. The Economic Survey 2014-15 released by the Ministry of Finance (Nepal), shows that the country has a total road network of 80,078 kilometres (49,758 mi), which includes 26,935 kilometres (16,737 mi) of roads constructed and being maintained by the Department of Roads and 53,143 kilometres (33,022 mi) of roads constructed by local government bodies.[1]


Road System Classification[2]
Type Description Average Speed Lt.
E Expressways or fast tracks usually serve direct commute from one city to another. 120 kmph[3]
H National highways are the major roads connecting Eastern Nepal with Western Nepal & Southern Nepal with Northern. 80 kmph
F Feeder roads are the roads that run alongside National Highways or sometimes link two highways. 60 kmph
D District roads are the roads that sometimes link two or more districts or act as an internal road link of a district. 60 kmph
U Urban roads are freeways intended to serve within a specific metro, sub-metro, municipality or rural-municipality. 40 kmph

Highways
  • Total: 31393 km
  • Paved: 14102 km
  • Gravel:. 7881 km
  • Unpaved: 9410 km (2018 est.)

Rail
Further information: Nepal Railways and 8 different India–Nepal cross-border rail lines

Nepal Government Railway operated a short narrow gauge railway from 1927 to 1965. Presently in 2022, there are two operational railway lines in the country, both of which connect Nepal with India: the Raxaul–Sirsiya and the Jainagar–Janakpur. The former is a 6 km (3.7 mi) line from Raxaul, India to Sirsiya Inland Container Depot (or dry port) near Birgunj, Nepal, and is primarily used for freight transport.[4] It allows container traffic to be imported to Nepal through the Sirsiya dry port container depot.[5] The latter is a 51 km (32 mi) line from Jaynagar, India to Janakpur, Nepal, and is used primarily for passenger transport.[6]

Nepal and India had agreed to construct 8 different India–Nepal cross-border rail lines, this includes linking Raxaul with Kathmandu, during Prime Minister KP Oli's visit to India.[7] A team of technical officers visited Kathmandu to study the proposed railway from Raxaul to Kathmandu and they have stated that a feasibility study of the project would begin. They have already identified Chobhar as the terminus of the 113 km-long line. [8]

China–Nepal railway is a planned line through Kathmandu, linking India with Lhasa in Tibet, has been proposed by the KP Oli government. In November 2017, Chinese media reported the arrival of a delegation of Chinese railway experts in Nepal. They discussed the possibility of a rail connection between China and Nepal.[9] In August 2018, the two sides reached an agreement on construction details of the railway.[10][11]

Air
See also: List of airports in Nepal

There are 53 airports in Nepal as of 2020 out of which 34 are in operation. There are three international airports that serve as the aviation hubs: Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Gautam Buddha International Airport in Lumbini, and Pokhara International Airport in Pokhara.

Airports with paved runways
  • Total: 40
  • Over 3,047 m: 1
  • 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  • 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2002)

Airports with unpaved runways
  • Total: 2
  • 914 to 1,523 m: 1
  • Under 914 m: 1 (2023)

Redundant and not in operation Airports
  • Total: 12

Water

Nepal is a landlocked country with no ocean borders.[12]

Nepal's three dry ports are Birgunj, Biratnagar, and Bhairahawa.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Transport in Nepal.
  1. "Total road length crosses 80,000km - The Himalayan Times - Nepal's No.1 English Daily Newspaper | Nepal News, Latest Politics, Business, World, Sports, Entertainment, Travel, Life Style News".
  2. "Nepal Road Standard 2070 - DoR Nepal".
  3. "Kathmandu Terai Fast Track".
  4. "Nepal Railway Assessment". Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  5. "Introduction". customs.gov.np. Department of Customs dryport office, Government of Nepal. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  6. "Indian goods train from Jayanagar arrives in Janakpur".
  7. "India And Nepal To Speed Up Raxaul-Kathmandu Rail Project". 11 July 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  8. "DoR says land acquisition a major hurdle". www.kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. Kantipur Publications. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  9. 中方铁路代表团赴尼泊尔开展铁路调研 (A team of Chinese railway representatives visit Nepal to initiate a railway study), 2017-11-14
  10. Giri, A; Giri, S (24 August 2018). "Nepal, China agree on rail study". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  11. "Nepal in talks with China to build $8 bn cross-border rail link". Times of India. May 14, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-09-01.
  12. "Transportation in Nepal : Roadways, Airways, Railways, Waterways, Ropeways". ImNepal.com. 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2017-11-08.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook (2023 ed.). CIA. (Archived 2003 edition)

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