Jaynagar–Bardibas railway line

The railway begins at Jaynagar railway station, in the Madhubani district of India. The international border with Nepal is less than from the terminus, but this does not affect passengers, as there are no border facilities or checkpoints at the crossing. The first station in Nepal is Inarwa railway station, a short distance after the border. There are customs checkpoints at both of these stations, but the border is maintained as an open border for people. In total, there are eight stations and six halts between Jaynagar and Bijalpura. There are also 15 major bridges and 127 smaller bridges, as well as 47 road crossings. Stations between Jaynagar to Bijalpura: • Jaynagar (India) • Inarwan (Nepal) • Khajuri (Halt) • Baidehi • Parbaha • Janakpurdham • Kurtha • Khutta Pipradhi • Loharpatti • Singyahi • Bhangaha (formerly Bijalpura) The terminal station in Nepal was known as Bijalpura prior to that section closing in 2001, after monsoon rains destroyed a bridge and washed away some of the embankments. The new station is now called Bhangaha, although both names are still used by various sources. == History ==

Following the construction of the Nepal Government Railway (NGR) in 1927, a gauge cross-border line between Amalekhagunj, Nepal and Raxaul, India, the Nepal Janakpur Jaynagar Railway (NJJR) was the second railway line to be constructed in Nepal. It was also gauge and opened in 1937, linking Bijalpura and Janakpur to Jaynagar in India. Initially it was used by Britishers to carry timber from the then heavily forested areas of Janakpur in the Kingdom of Nepal to Jainagar (India). When all the timber in the area had been cut down, the owners gave the railway to the Nepali Government, and the carrying of passengers began. Soon Nepalese villagers around Janakpur found it handy for commuting to their local town and going to India. Janakpur, revered as being the birth place of the goddess Sita, is a holy and popular pilgrimage destination for lots of travelers within Nepal and India. Large numbers of Indian visitors started to visit Janakpur using the railway, particularly at times of festival. The railway continued beyond Janakpur to Bijalpura, but this section was only accessible in the dry season, and could not be used during the rainy season. By 1965, a start had been made on upgrading it to an all-weather line, but the work ceased because of uncertainty that the project would generate any extra traffic on the line. The section from Janakpur to Bijalpura was abandoned in 2001, after the bridge over the Bighi River was destroyed and some of the embankment was washed away. However, one of the steam locomotives was retained in working order until at least 2005. In 1965, experts concluded that the railway had never been well-maintained, and that the condition of the rolling stock and track was "fair-to-poor". The British Broadcasting Company produced a programme about the railway in 2014, which showed that conditions were worse. With no funding from central government, the track and rolling stock were dilapidated. Trains frequently derailed, but were usually put back on the track with help from the passengers, and only one of the four diesel locomotives was operational, but often broke down. Despite not having been paid for over three months, the staff continued to operate the line, repairing the locomotive when required and attempting to obtain fuel for it. Although it was a lifeline for the communities at Janakpur and along the line, the train service ceased in 2014 so that the line could be converted to broad gauge. Three years later, a memorandum of understanding was issued by the governments of Nepal and India, which would see India's Ministry of Railways rebuilding the line from Jaynagar to Janakpur and beyond, as the first of several cross-border broad gauge links between the two countries. Accordingly, the narrow gauge service ceased in March 2014, to allow the work to start. Construction started when Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi was Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport in the Sushil Koirala cabinet. The job of rebuilding the tracks and stations was awarded to Ircon International, and was funded by a grant of NPR 8.77 billion from the Indian Government. The project was split into three sections, with the first running from Jaynagar to Janakpur and Kurtha, beyond which the formation was washed away in 2001. This section is long, and was completed in 2019, but the train service did not start until 2022. The next from Kurtha to Bijalpura, the original terminus prior to 2001, was completed by April 2023. Construction of the final from Bijalpura to Bardibas was dependant on the Nepalese government making the land available. It was fully operational for passenger service on 3 April 2022. The second section from Kurtha to Bijalpura was formally opened by Prakash Jwala, Nepal's Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport on 16 July 2023, during a visit to Janakpur. By late 2023, the government had resolved issues with the purchase of land for the third section, but progress was delayed until compensation payments for the land had been made. A survey of the new route began on 17 December 2023, and construction was scheduled to begin once that was completed. Construction was expected to take about three years. It is expected to boost industralization, religious and cultural tourism after completion. ==Rolling stock==

As well as locomotives supplied directly to the Janakpur-Jaynagar railway, most of the stock from the Nepal Government Railway was transferred to the railway when the NGR closed in 1968. In 1994, four class ZDM-5 diesel locomotives were sent to the railway from India. 41 of the type were built by the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works from 1989 onwards. They weighed 22 tonnes and were built for lines where the axle loading could not exceed 6 tonnes. They had a wheel arrangement and the 490hp engine drove a hydraulic transmission system. Initially, two locomotives, ZDM-535 and ZDM-536, were supplied by Indian Railways, who also provided crews to operate them. Shortly afterwards, they were joined by ZDM-533 and ZDM-524. The railway also had two small diesel locomotives, manufactured by Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik of Germany for the Nepal Government Railway in 1960. After transfer, they were used on the Bijalpura extension. In 2020, two new broad gauge 5-car diesel-electric multiple units were purchased from the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. They are rated at 1,600hp, and each has one air-conditioned coach and four standard coaches. Each multiple unit has seating for 300 passengers, with additional room for another 700 standing passengers. == See also ==