RITES recently submitted its Inception Report to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works (MoPPW) after conducting initial alignment survey for the construction of Mechi-Mahakali and Kathmandu-Pokhara railway lines.
“Considering our geographical situation, RITES has suggested us to put the speed limit of not more than 100 km per hours,” Tulsi Prasad Sitaula, joint secretary at MoPPW, told myrepublica.com. “It has also suggested us to adopt broad gauge line instead of narrow gauge line, which has already become obsolete in many parts of the world.”
Sitaula also said RITES has suggested linking the proposed railway lines with Asian railway line.
As per the initial alignment survey, the Kathmandu-Pokhara railway line will have lowest elevation of 385 meters in Belkhu and the highest elevation of 1,466 meters at Thankot.
“RITES is currently busy conducting feasibility of the proposed railway lines,” Sitaula said.
As per the report, maximum load of axle load - a bearing capacity of railway track - is should be 22.9 tons and load bearing capacity of bridges must not be higher than 32.5 tons. “As frequent construction of bridges is not economically and technically viable, higher bearing capacity has been suggested in the report,” Sitaula added.
RITES has also sketched three tentative alignments for both the proposed railway lines. In its initial concept, RITES had proposed six cross-border links with Indian bordering points with the proposed Mechi-Mahakali and Kathmandu-Pokhara railway lines. RITES had suggested linking New Jalpaiguri with Kakarbhitta, Jogbani with Biratnagar, Jainagar with Janakpur and Bardibas, Raxaul with Birgunj, Sunauli with Bhairahawa and Rupaidiya with Nepalgunj. Total length of both railway lines has been estimated to be around 1,400 km.
As per the agreement, RITES has to submit its feasibility report for the both railway lines by July 15, 2010.
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