China–Nepal railway


The China–Nepal Railway is a planned railway between China and Nepal. The railway will link Kathmandu with Shigatse, Tibet, crossing the China–Nepal border at Gyirong–Rasuwa.

History

In 2006, Qinghai–Tibet Railway, the first railway in Tibet, was completed. The same year, then chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region Qiangba Puncog told current Prime Minister of Nepal Khadga Prasad Oli, then Deputy Prime Minister, that the railway would be extended to Shigatse and eventually to China–Nepal border.
In 2016, during Oli's visit to China, the two countries signed a treaty on trade and transit, including a plan to build a high speed railway from Kathmandu to the Chinese border. In June 2018, Nepal and China agreed on construction of the railway as a component of a series of cooperation projects approved by the two sides. A mutual agreement over the pre-feasibility study was reached in August 2018.
First extension of the Tibetan Railway, the Lhasa–Shigatse railway, opened in 2014. Construction of the railway from Shigatse to Gyirong is expected to be complete by 2022.

Route

Existing Lanzhou-Kathmandu and Xi'an-Kathmandu freight routes involve cargo being carried by trucks from Shigatse through Gyirong border post to Nepal. This first leg of the route starts from Lanzhou, a major freight hub in the Chinese railway network, to Xining over the Lanzhou–Qinghai railway, from Xining to Lhasa over the Qinghai–Tibet railway, and from Lhasa to Shigatse over the Lhasa–Xigazê railway.
Within China, the new railway, which will cross of Chinese territory before reaching the Nepali border, will mostly follow the route of China National Highway 318 after leaving Shigatse, passing through Lhatse, Sa'gya, Dinggyê, Tingri, and Nyalam. After reaching Nyalam, the railway will follow Highway 219 to Gyirong.
The Nepali section is long, and is considered one of the most challenging railway projects due to topographical issues of the Himalayas. 98.5% of the section will be bridges or tunnels. There will be four stations along the line, with the terminal at Sankhu in Kathmandu. A further extension to Pokhara and Lumbini is planned.