The government is aiming to complete the detailed project report (DPR of the East-West Railway Project by this October.

The Department of Railways (DoRW), under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT), has said that it will finalise the DPR of the entire project with the completion of the Butwal-Gaddachauki section—the remaining section of the larger project.

 “We have already started working on the final stretch, and we are on schedule. At this pace, we can complete the DPR of the entire project in 8-9 months,” said DoRW Spokesperson Prakash Bhakta Upadhyaya.

The department has been working on different sections, dividing the 945-km Mechi-Mahakali project. While the DPR of sections east of Butwal has already been completed, only the western section which lies to the west of Butwal remains now, said Upadhyaya.

The railway department has already completed the DPR of the Bardibas-Simara, Simara-Butwal and Bardibas-Kakadbhitta sections. The DPR of these stretches were conducted separately: 108-km Bardibas-Simara section, 127-km Simara-Tansariya section and 64-km Tansariya-Butwal section, according to Upadhyaya.

The department has also completed the DPR of area between eastern Bardibas and Kakadbhitta in two segments: 137-km Bardibas-Inaruwa section and 103-km Inaruwa-Kakadvitta section.

It said the DPR of the remaining stretch of Butwal-Gaddachauki of the East-West Railway Project would be carried out by dividing the area into four segments: 115-km Butwal-Lamahi; 102-km Lamahi-Kohalpur, 95-km Kohalpur-Sukhad and 94-km Sukhad-Gaddachauki.

“We are currently working on the Butwal-Gaddachowki railway line that has been divided into four packages, each around 100km in length. Working on such stretches makes it easier and consume less time,” added Upadhyaya.

The East-West Railway Line is estimated to cost Rs 69.52 billion.