Relying on centuries to Kolkata of West Bengal to reach the sea, Nepal finds an alternative to it as a container train between Visakhapatnam and Nepal was flagged off at the Visakha Container Terminal Ltd (VCTPL).

It is expected to reach on today in Birgunj. According to the official at Nepalese government official, the consignments will reach in Birgunj terminal through Raxual.

This is the first consignment of products reached Nepal imported by using Visakhapatnam. This consignment broke Nepal’s sole relying on Kolkata Port.

According to reports, food products including pulses, garments and electronic goods imported from China and Korea were transported to the Himalayan nation by the train. The Nepal government imported the products from two countries through the vessel named Maersk which reached Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

The 43-coach train was loaded with 2.1 lakh tons of cargo. It will cover a distance of 1,350 km, including 800 km in India, before reaching Nepal. It will take about 50 hours to reach the final destination in Nepal.

VPT chairman M T Krishnababu, Waltair railway divisional manager M S Mathur, and VCTPL managing director Krishna Kotak flagged off the Nepal-bound container train at the VCTPCL rail siding. They said that traditionally Kolkata and Haldia serve as a gateway of Nepal as per the Indo-Nepal Treaty.

Therefore, Kolkata Customs and Nepal commerce department have established standard operating procedures for movement of goods in transit from Kolkata to four customs entry points in Nepal.

According to The Times of India report, Krishna Kotak said that Baharaich-Nepalgunj, Birgunj-Raxaul, Biratnagar-Jogbani, Sonauli-Bhairahawa are the entry points for Nepal cargo. Goods are transported by road and rail routes to Nepal. The rail link is available through Raxaul-Birgunj entry point. Other borders open only for road-bound consignment from Kolkata.