India Launches First Direct Commercial Freight Train to Nepal

The Northeast Frontier Railway completed the first direct commercial container freight train journey from Kolkata Port in India to the Biratnagar Customs Yard in Nepal on July 29, 2026. The inaugural train consisted of 40 wagons carrying 1,225 tonnes of canola.

This service operates under a revised India-Nepal Rail Transit Protocol and a Letter of Exchange signed in November 2025. The new framework allows bulk cargo to move between the two nations without the need for transshipment at the border. The operation utilizes an 18.6-km broad-gauge rail link between Jogbani, India, and Biratnagar, Nepal, which was inaugurated in June 2023.

Officials stated the initiative will reduce transit times, lower logistics costs, and improve trade efficiency. Beyond the Kolkata-Biratnagar route, transit arrangements now include corridors from Kolkata and Visakhapatnam to Nautanwa. Both countries are also developing the Raxaul-Kathmandu railway and passenger services on the Janakpur-Ayodhya route.