Nepal's Road and Transport Infrastructure

Topic
Nepal's Road and Transport Infrastructure
Category
Infrastructure
Key Facts

Road Network

  • Strategic Road Network: Nepal has a total road network of approximately $30,000\text{ km}$ (including rural and agricultural roads), with around $15,000\text{ km}$ classified under the strategic national network.
  • Major Highways: Key national lifelines include the Mahendra Highway (East-West), Prithvi Highway (Kathmandu to Pokhara), and Arniko Highway (Kathmandu to the Tibet border).
  • Kathmandu–Terai Fast Track (KTFT): A high-priority $72\text{ km}$ express highway currently under construction to link Kathmandu directly with Nijgadh.

Railway Systems

  • Janakpur–Jayanagar: Nepal's active cross-border passenger railway line, modernized and upgraded from narrow gauge to broad gauge.
  • Planned Routes: Feasibility studies are underway for the cross-border Kathmandu–Raxaul railway (collaborating with India) and the Kerung–Kathmandu railway (collaborating with China).

Aviation Infrastructure

  • Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA): Located in Kathmandu; served as Nepal's sole international airport for decades.
  • Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA): Located in Bhairahawa, operational since $2022$ as the second international airport.
  • Pokhara International Airport (PIA): Inaugurated in $2023$ to boost tourism and regional air connectivity.

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