19 global firms show interest in East-West railway

KATHMANDU, March 2: Responding to the government’s call, a total of 19 international consultant firms have submitted Expression of Interest (EoI) to carry out feasibility study for 1200 km electric railway along the Tarai.

The Ministry of Physical Planning and Works (MPPW) had sought EoI from international consultants for the feasibility study of the ambitious Mechi-Mahakali Electric Railway Line announced in the budget this fiscal year.

The ministry on January 30 had given one-month deadline for submission of EoIs.

“A total of19 firms from 11 countries submitted their EoIs by Sunday, the last day for submission. The response is good,” said Dhruba Regmi, joint secretary at the MPPW told myrepublica.com on Monday.

The responding firms are three each from India and Australia, two each from South Korea, the USA, Canada and the UK, and one each from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Japan, Germany and China.

Regmi said the ministry will shortlist about three to six firms and demand Request for Proposal (RFP) with technical and financial details of the project.

Source said the ministry plans to commence the study on the railway from June 1 and complete the study within eight months.

At present, the country has only one operational railway line, the 29-km Janakur-Jayanagar Railway, which links Nepal with India.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works has requested the Ministry of Finance (MoF) on February 11 to seek funding from multilateral donors for feasibility study of the project.

The feasibility study will prepare preliminary engineering designs for the railway, estimate the cost of tracks, bridges, overhead electric lines and a signal system among other things.

A pre-feasibility study carried out by an independent agency in 2006 had put the cost of East-West railway line at US$ 2.07 billion.

The government has allocated Rs 15 million for feasibility study of the Mechi-Mahakali electric railway, for upgrading and widening Jayanagar-Janakpur-Bardibas railway and carrying out a study for a Kathmandu-Pokhara railway.

Source: - http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=2348