Janakpurdham, Sept. 3: Ram Binod Khadka, a resident of Sunsari district, was left in awe when he entered the station of the Janakpur-Jaynagar Railway in Janakpurdham of Dhanusha district. It had been at least two decades since Khadka last boarded a train with his wife.

Khadka had arrived in Janakpur with his family, including his grandchildren. "I am happy to board a train once again after 20 years. The current railway service is far different in a better way than it was before," he said as his eyes continued looking at every visible corner of the terminal area.

"Last time I boarded a train from here with my wife. Now, I have come with my grandchildren. It feels great alongside nostalgic," said Khadka.

"When I remember the train that operated from Koila two decades ago, it had wooden seats. However, the train used to be so crowded that people would find it difficult to find even a place to stand. But the train now was clean and well-managed," Khadka added. According to him, the recent train travel to the maternal house of his wife in Jaynagar, India, was very relaxing compared to his last one. 

"I boarded the train several times during my childhood. The Janakpur-Jaynagar travel used to be three hours long. I was surprised to reach Jaynagar in an hour this time. A lot seems to have changed," said Shobha Khadka, wife of Ram Binod.

In addition to personal travel, locals of Janakpur have said that it has been cheaper to bring goods from India after the railway service came into operation. "Like everyone else, I had to hire a four-wheeler to go to the market in Jaynagar for shopping for my son's wedding two years ago. But now, there is no need to hire a four-wheeler and travel at an expensive rate after the railway service resumed," said Ganga Devi, a resident of Ward No. 8 of Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City.

The Janakpur-Kurtha-Jaynagar Railway Service was virtually inaugurated on April 2, 2022, jointly by then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Since then, locals in Janakpur and neighbouring areas have been benefitting as the travel time and the required fare have decreased. Moreover, Indian nationals have also found the railway service beneficial as hundreds of Hindu pilgrims arrive in Janakpur from Jaynagar daily.

While the Janakpur-Kurtha Railway covered a 32-kilometre distance when it was inaugurated, it has been expanded to 52-kilometre as the train reaches Bijalpura of Mahottari district now. 

The train commutes along the Kurtha-Jaynagar section thrice a day and reaches Bijalpura once a day.

As per the locals, they can board the train to Jaynagar in the morning and return to Janakpur in the afternoon after shopping.

"The railway service has once again increased commuting between Nepal and India, improving the relationship between people in the two countries. It has also helped increase Indian tourists to Janakpur," said Rabindra Sah, an engineer at the Nepal Railway Company (NRC).

According to Sah, in order to improve railway travel, the NRC was planning to implement railway insurance, add passenger rail, install CCTV cameras in stations and increase cargo rails.

"The plans have been forwarded to Nepali authorities as well as the Indian government via Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said Sah.

Officials informed that 19 individuals from India were currently being deployed for the railway service.

"If the cargo rail services come into operation, it would improve trade between the two countries. It would also help reduce production cost, making goods cheaper for Nepali consumers," said Parameshwor Sah, treasurer of Janakpur's FNCCI.

Treasurer Sah informed that they had submitted several memorandums to concerned authorities regarding the issue, but to no avail.