India's first direct container freight train reaches Nepal, cutting transit time and cost
The Indian Railways has launched the first ever direct commercial container freight train to Nepal, in a move aimed at boosting rail-based cross-border freight movement. Officials said the first container freight train, comprising 40 wagons and carrying a consignment of 1,225 tonnes of canola, completed its journey from Kolkata Port to Biratnagar customs yard in Nepal on July 23.
The rake was booked on July 19 and was released from Nepal after unloading on July 25, according to an official statement.
The cross-border train operation is built on the revised India-Nepal Rail Transit Protocol and the completion of the broad-gauge line between Jogbani (Bihar, India) and Biratnagar (Nepal). The 18.60 km line was inaugurated in June 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The project was sanctioned in 2010-11 and constructed with grant assistance from the Indian government.
Both countries had interchanged a Letter of Exchange amending the protocol to the treaty of transit between India and Nepal in November 2025. The new arrangement removed the need for transshipment at the border, resulting in the reduction of transit time, logistics costs, and cargo handling. This is expected to significantly enhance trade efficiency between the two nations.
