Cargo train carrying mustard seed arrives in Biratnagar from Kolkata

By Shashidhar Parajuli

Biratnagar, July 21: A cargo train carrying mustard seed imported from a third country via India's Kolkata Port arrived on Monday at the Integrated Customs Check Post (ICP) in Budhnagar, Biratnagar-18, marking the resumption of the rail freight service after a gap of three years.

The service, which was first launched during the inauguration of the Biratnagar ICP in 2023, had remained suspended since its initial operation.

The train transported 40 containers of mustard seed imported by Swastik Oil Industries under a rail cargo system introduced to facilitate safer, more efficient and cost-effective transportation of goods imported from third countries. Each container has been fitted with an Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) to ensure secure transit.

This is the first direct rail cargo service transporting third-country imports from Kolkata Port to Biratnagar. The service has been launched through the coordinated efforts of the Consulate General of Nepal in Kolkata, Kolkata Customs, Kolkata Port and the Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR).

Until now, Nepal's rail cargo facility for imports from third countries had been limited to the Birgunj border point. The extension of the service to Biratnagar is expected to provide significant relief to industrialists and importers in eastern Nepal.

Nandu Rathi, President of the Morang Trade Association, said the expansion would improve logistics and reduce transportation costs for businesses operating in the eastern region.

Once the service becomes fully operational, it will be capable of transporting up to 45 forty-foot cargo containers to Biratnagar in a single train. Industrialist Suyash Pyakurel said rail transport is safer, more reliable and less expensive than road transport, which would substantially lower freight costs for importers.

The rail link is also expected to cut transit time significantly, with cargo reaching Biratnagar from Kolkata in approximately 24 hours.

Under the Nepal–India Transit Treaty, Nepal is permitted to use road, rail and inland waterways for imports and exports involving third countries. In line with the agreement, India's Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs amended the Electronic Cargo Tracking System regulations to allow cargo movement by rail from the ports of Kolkata, Haldia and Visakhapatnam to the Biratnagar Customs Office.

Following the amendment, Kolkata Customs, with the facilitation of the Consulate General of Nepal in Kolkata, established the necessary procedures to transport cargo by rail from the Indian Customs Yard at Jogbani to the Nepal Customs Yard in Biratnagar.