India plans rail tracks through Nepal to bypass Chicken’s Neck
Times of India | 16 July 2024
Jalpaiguri: India plans to build railway lines through Nepal to connect Jogbani in Bihar to New Mal Junction in Bengal via Biratnagar in the neighbouring nation to reduce the country’s dependence on the Siliguri Corridor, also known as ‘Chicken’s Neck’, in connecting the northeast to the mainland. Indian Railways had earlier revealed plans to build tracks in Bangladesh for a similar purpose.
The Railways has sanctioned a 190-km route for final location survey (FLS) between Biratnagar and New Mal Junction. The proposed Galgalia (Bihar)–Bhadrapur (Nepal)–Kajali Bazar (Nepal) section will require an additional 12.5km of new railway tracks. The Jogbani–Biratnagar broad gauge section will consist of 18.6km of tracks in India and 13.15km in Nepal. A 7.74km section between Bathnaha in Bihar and Nepal Customs Yard is completed. Nepal govt will shortly take over this segment. Work is ongoing in the remaining stretch.
All present rail routes from the Indian mainland to the northeast pass through Aluabari Road in Islampur. This falls in the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, a 22-km wide area sandwiched between Nepal and Bangladesh. From Aluabari, trains move on to New Jalpaiguri Junction or Siliguri Junction. “Indian Railways has sanctioned 14 FLS for new railway connectivity routes through Bangladesh and Nepal to reduce dependence on the Chicken’s Neck section,” said Sabyasachi De, CPRO, NFR.