Nepal will buy two trains spending Rs 850 million. The Department of Railways will procure two diesel-electric-multiple-unit (DEMU) trains to operate from Janakpur to Jayanagar.
The Cabinet meeting on Monday gave permission to the department to procure trains from the Indian government. Indian officials will arrive in Kathmandu in a few days to sign on the agreement, according to Director General at the department Balaram Mishra.
The Indian Ministry of Railways has said it can hand over the DEMU trains within three months of the agreement. "It will take time to manufacture new ones after placing orders. We have, therefore, requested them to hand over those that are already in the process of manufacturing as soon as possible," Mishra told Setopati.
These trains will have engines at both the ends, according to Mishra. The trains, with top speed of 100 kilometers per hour, will operate on diesel and can also run on solar energy. The trains will have five coaches which have around 100 seats each. .
"Around 150 passengers can stand in each coach during the rush hour. One of the coaches will be air-conditioned for VIP passengers," he added.
He revealed that paintings and diagrams depicting Nepali nationalism will be sketched in the train. He said Indian technicians will arrive with the trains to operate them in the beginning.
