Means of Transportation in Nepal
Surface Transport
1. Road Transportation: It is one of the most important modes of transport in Nepal. By mid-March 2020 all district headquarters have been linked to road network except Humla. However, the current plan has set its target to connect all 77 district headquarters with road networks by the end of the plan period.
Major Highways of Nepal |
Length |
East-West Highway (Mechi to Mahakali) |
1027.67 km |
Mechi Highway (Illam to Taplejung) |
224 km |
Sagarmatha Highway (Mirchaiya to Salleri) |
200 km |
Karnali Highway (Nepalgunj to Jumla) |
200 km |
Prithvi Highway (Naubise to Pokhara) |
174 km |
Tribhuvan Highway (Kathmandu to Birgunj) |
192 km |
Siddhartha Highway (Pokhara to Bhairahawa) |
184 km |
Araniko Highway (Kathmandu to Kodari) |
114 km |
Type |
At the end of FY 2018/19 |
Up to mid-March 2020 |
Blacktopped |
14,695 |
15,254 |
Graveled |
8,594 |
9,251 |
Earthen (Fair Weather) |
9,590 |
9,842 |
Total |
32,879 |
34,347 |
2. Railway Transportation: Nepal does not have a high potentiality for railway service due to the lack of adequate capital and technical knowledge.
The first railway in Nepal was constructed in 1936 A.D. between Amlekhgunj and Raxaul which is known as Nepal Government Railway. Its length was 48 km. However, it was found uneconomical and now it is out of operation. The Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway was established in 1936 A.D. Currently, the train runs on the 29 km line from Janakpur to Jayanagar. The government has planned to extend the track by 17 km up to Bardibas besides upgrading it from narrow gauge to broad gauge.
Various projects like Railway Construction Project, Railway Project under the Indian Cooperation, Mechi-Mahakali electric railroad, Kathmandu Metro Transport Project are ongoing under this department.
3. Ropeway Transportation: The ropeway between Kathmandu and Hetauda, established in 1964 A.D. has 42 km of the cableway. Now, the government has decided to stop its operation due to the lack of proper repair and maintenance. A cable car service (3.1 km) between Kurintar of Chitwan district and Manakamana of Gorkha district is built and operated by the private sector. Similarly, the country’s second cable car system, Thankot-Chandragiri has also been started in 2073 Baisakh. Its length is 2.5 km.
Air Transport:
Airfields in Nepal |
Number |
International Airport |
1 |
Regional Hub Airport (Nepalgunj, Biratnagar,Gautam
Buddha and Pokhara) |
4 |
Other Domestic Airports |
44 |
Airports under Construction (6 domestic + 3
international) |
9 |
Total |
58 |
Of these, 33 airports are in operation. The process has been started to develop the Gautam Buddha Airport in Bhairahawa, as a regional international airport under South Asia Tourism Infrastructure Development Project.
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