On Friday, the Nepal-India Transit Treaty became a reality with the official commencement of the first-ever rail cargo service between Kolkata Port and Biratnagar in eastern Nepal. This marks a major step forward in improving trade connectivity between India and Nepal and easing imports from other nations. Logistics efficiency, transportation cost reduction, and regional supply chain strength are all anticipated outcomes of the new service.
Forty forty-foot containers with large capacities set sail from Kolkata Port aboard the first CONCOR goods train, bound for the Biratnagar Customs Yard. Jhakka Prasad Acharya, Nepal’s Consul General in Kolkata, and representatives from Kolkata Customs, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, and CONCOR (Consolidated Indian Container Corporation) jointly flagged off the service.
Maersk Line is transporting 40 containers filled with canola grain that has been dressed by Australian farmers for the Nepalese company Swastik Oil Industries. Before arriving in Biratnagar, the containers will be equipped with the Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS). The journey is anticipated to take around 24 hours and will pass via the Jogbani Integrated Customs Yard on the India-Nepal border.
Up until recently, containerised imports from Indian seaports were handled solely by Birgunj, Nepal’s sole rail-linked customs post. The Biratnagar rail cargo corridor has greatly increased Nepal’s trade logistics capability, allowing for the direct transit of both bulk and containerised cargo. A single goods train can carry up to 45 forty-foot containers.
The service is anticipated to significantly lower expenses related to port demurrage, container detention, and road transportation, resulting in cost savings for Nepali enterprises when importing. There will likely be a boost to industrial competitiveness, supply chain reliability, and economic cooperation between Nepal and India as a result.
Rail goods can now be transferred from the ports of Haldia, Visakhapatnam, and Kolkata to Biratnagar Customs Office, thanks to revisions made to the Electronic goods Tracking System (ECTS) Regulations, 2019, in November 2025 by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). This historic cross-border freight link could finally be operationalised in February 2026 according to subsequent procedural instructions given by Kolkata Customs.
A new era in economic cooperation between India and Nepal has begun with the opening of the Kolkata–Biratnagar rail cargo service, which will improve regional trade, logistics connectivity, and supply chain resilience while facilitating quicker, safer, and more cost-effective cargo movement.
Image: The Kathmandu Post
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