Metropolitan Mayor Rajeshman Singh said that the initiative to build a museum has been initiated with the aim of keeping alive for future generations the fact that railway service in Nepal began in Birgunj, which is inscribed in the invaluable pages of history.
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With the aim of preserving and promoting the historical legacy of Nepal's first railway service, Birgunj Metropolitan City has formally initiated preparations to establish a railway museum in Birgunj.
The plan to build this museum at the proposed BP Park located at the current Ghantaghar in Birgunj Metropolitan City has been put forward by the Metropolitan City Office. As an effort to this end, a massive cleaning campaign was launched on the land of the proposed BP Park on Saturday.
A team including sanitation workers of the Metropolitan City, Armed Police Force and members of the Community Police Partnership Program participated in the cleaning campaign. Metropolitan City Mayor Rajeshman Singh said that the initiative to build the museum has been taken with the aim of keeping alive the fact that the railway service in Nepal, which is inscribed in the invaluable pages of history, started from Birgunj for future generations. He said that this program has been taken as a symbolic and emotional effort to honor the memory associated with the transportation history of Nepal.
Green City Community Organization Chairman Jayaprakash Khetan said that by making the museum site clean, organized and museum-worthy, a meaningful start has been made towards the preservation and promotion of historical heritage. He said that this initiative is believed to further strengthen the historical identity of Birgunj and present Nepal's railway history and national pride to the new generation with pride. He also said that all the people of Birgunj need to unite and support this campaign to make it successful.
The Birgunj-Amlekhgunj railway service occupies a special place in the modern transport history of Nepal. This railway, which came into operation about a century ago, was the first railway service to run in Nepal. This railway service was also the cornerstone of trade, administration and development at that time. Built in 1927 during the reign of the then Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher, this railway connected Birgunj to Amlekhgunj via Raxaul in India. The main purpose of this narrow-gauge railway, which is about 47 kilometers long, was to carry wood and fuel cut from the forests of the Terai to Kathmandu and to transport trade materials.
At that time, since there was no road network to the capital Kathmandu, Amlekhgunj was developed as the main gateway connecting the Terai and the capital. Materials brought to Amlekhgunj via railway from Birgunj were then transported to Kathmandu via Bhimphedi using mules and human labor.
The Birgunj-Amlekhgunj railway also provided passenger services at that time. Even with limited resources, this railway service was considered important for the expansion of economic activities and the functioning of the state. After Bikram Sambat 2021, its use decreased with the expansion of the Hetauda-Kathmandu road and other alternative road networks.
This railway service was completely closed around Bikram Sambat 2028. While the railway lines, engines and coaches disappeared over time, some remains still stand as silent witnesses to history in the Amlekhgunj area of Bara.
