This is the first such formal cargo train service under the Nepal-India transit arrangement to be operational since Friday.
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Raw materials imported from third countries can now be brought directly from Kolkata Port, India to Biratnagar Customs by rail.
This is the first such formal cargo train service under the Nepal-India transit arrangement to be operational from Friday. The train departing from Kolkata will arrive in Biratnagar on Sunday.
The first train carrying raw materials for Swastik Oil Industries from Kolkata Port has been sent to Biratnagar under the service. According to Umesh Shrestha, Chief of Biratnagar Customs Office, the train will arrive in Biratnagar by Sunday.
Nepali Consul General in Kolkata, Jhakka Prasad Acharya, officials of Kolkata Customs, Kolkata Port and Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR) jointly inaugurated the service by showing the green flag.
All containers on the train are equipped with Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS). It is said that this will enable real-time monitoring of the status of the transport and increase security and transparency.
This service has become possible after the policy amendment made by the Government of India under the Nepal-India Transit Agreement.
India's Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) had amended the ECTS rules on 4 November 2025 and allowed the transport of cargo from Kolkata, Haldia and Visakhapatnam ports to Biratnagar by rail. After that, Kolkata Customs had made procedural arrangements for rail transport to Biratnagar via the Indian Customs Yard at Jogbani on 26 February 2026.
Earlier, the rail service from Bathanaha to Biratnagar Custom Yard in India was jointly inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2080 Jestha. The train that came once during the inauguration has not returned since then.
With the new arrangement, up to 45 40-foot containers can be brought to Biratnagar by rail at a time. Earlier, the facility of direct cargo transportation by rail from third countries was limited to Birgunj only.
According to a press release issued by the Nepali Consulate General in Kolkata, the import process will be more effective as the cost of transportation by rail will be reduced compared to road transport, security will increase and the transportation period will be limited to about 24 hours.
This is expected to reduce detention and delay charges when containers are stopped at the port. In addition, there is a possibility of reducing the additional cost of road transportation and increasing the competitiveness of industries in eastern Nepal by reducing the production cost. Rajendra Raut, President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Koshi, said that it will also have a positive impact on industrial and commercial activities in eastern Nepal.
