The Nepalese government has approved the construction of a new railway line to China as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to improve the connection between Nepal and China. Local media report that it is still unclear when work on the new line will begin and how it will be financed. The details of the implementation of the project and the BRI modalities are also yet to be finalised. The issue of funding is particularly relevant as the Nepalese Congress has decided to accept only grants and not loans under the BRI project. The China Railway Survey and Design Group (CRSDG) had already started surveying and other detailed studies for a new railway line between Kathmandu and Kyirong in southern Tibet.
