The Nepal Government Railway (NGR) ( ne, नेपाल गभर्मेन्ट रेलवे) was

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

's first

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

in Nepal. Established in 1927 and closed in 1965, it linked

Amlekhganj Amlekhganj (''also'' Amlekhgunj) (Nepali:अमलेखगंज) is a town and Village Development Committee (now Sub Metropolitan City) in Bara District in the Narayani Zone of south-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had ...

with

Raxaul Raxaul is a sub-divisional town in the East Champaran district of the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated at the India-Nepal border with Birgunj city (Nepal). Raxaul is a major railway junction. The Indian border town of Raxaul has become one ...

across the border in India in the south. The narrow gauge railway was 47 km long.

History

In 1923, a short narrow gauge railway was built by J. V. Collier of the Indian Forest Service to transport Nepalese timber to India. Collier had been assigned by Nepal's

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histori ...

prime minister to manage the forest department in Nepal. In the winter of 1924, Martin and Co. of

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

conducted a survey to construct a light railway from the border north to Bichako (Amlekhganj). Construction began in March 1926, and the Nepal Government Railway opened on 16 February 1927. The narrow gauge railway used a track gauge of . The railway possessed seven steam locomotives, 12 coaches and 82 wagons. It operated steam-powered

Garratt A Garratt (often referred to as a Beyer Garratt) is a type of steam locomotive invented by British engineer Herbert William Garratt that is articulated into three parts. Its boiler, firebox, and cab are mounted on a centre frame or "bridge ...

locomotives manufactured by

Beyer, Peacock & Company Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson, it traded from 1854 until 1966. The company exported locomotives, ...

of England. Until the highway was built, the Amlekhganj-Raxaul railway was the only route indirectly connecting the capital

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

with India. From Kathmandu, travellers journeyed over the hills on foot, and then by lorry to Amlekhganj where they took the train to India. The need to walk was eliminated after

Tribhuvan Highway The Tribhuvan Highway () connects the outskirts of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, with Birganj/Raxaul on the Nepal-India border. NH 28 and NH 28A links Raxaul with Lucknow/Barauni and other locations in India. History Known informally as By ...

linking Kathmandu with Amlekhganj was built in 1956. The first daily bus service began operating on it in 1959, conducted by a private company named

Nepal Transport Service Nepal Transport Service ( ne, नेपाल ट्रान्सपोर्ट सर्भिस) was the first, and for a time, the largest, Nepalese public bus line. The company was based in the capital Kathmandu and operated from 1959 to ...

Closure

The Nepal Government Railway remained in service till 1965 when the construction of the highway linking the southern border made it redundant. The railway was closed down 1965 subsequently.

In popular culture

The Nepal Government Railway appears in the opening scenes of the first

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

film ''Aama'' ("Mother") made by the government of Nepal and released in 1964. It shows the hero, a Gurkha soldier returning to Nepal on leave, travelling on the train as he heads for home.

Gallery

File:Nepal govt train.jpg,

Nepal Government Railway in 1927.

File:Ngr no 4 ca 1932.jpg,

NGR locomotive No. 4, ca 1932.

File:Ngr locomotive 1947.jpg,

NGR locomotive, ca 1947.

File:Ngr raxaul 1951.jpg,

NGR at Raxaul station in 1951.

File:Nepal govt rail ticket.jpg, Train ticket Raxaul-Simra

History

Closure

In popular culture

Gallery

See also

References