India: First Direct Commercial Freight Train Reaches Nepal via Jogbani-Biratnagar Rail Link

India's first direct commercial container freight train reached the Nepal Customs Yard in Biratnagar on 20 July 2026, using the Jogbani-Biratnagar broad-gauge cross-border rail link, according to India Shipping News and NE India Broadcast.

The Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) flagged off the inaugural train on 17 July 2026, carrying 40 forty-foot containers of bulk canola grain imported from Fremantle, Australia. The service allows containerised cargo to move directly by rail from Kolkata Port to Biratnagar without transshipment at the border, under the revised India-Nepal Rail Transit Protocol.

The operators said the new link is expected to cut transit time, logistics costs and cargo handling, improving the efficiency and competitiveness of India-Nepal cross-border trade.