Ride Nepal's only passenger railway

Nepal has only one working passenger railway, and it starts in Janakpur. The line runs south-east across the Mithila plain toward Jaynagar in Bihar, about 52 km from the border at Jaynagar to Bhangaha in Nepal. A narrow-gauge line first ran here in the 1930s; it was rebuilt to broad gauge and reopened in the 2020s. The station is a short rickshaw ride from the centre.

A short ride from Janakpur station toward one of the nearby stops, then back by road, is a fun half day. From the window you see the flat, green plain at walking pace: ponds full of buffalo, mango orchards, mud-walled villages and children waving from the fields. Carriages are busy with traders, students and families. Tickets are cheap and sold at the station.

Timetables change and services are sometimes suspended, so check the day before at the station or with your guide. Foreign travellers should not ride across the border unless the crossing is approved for third-country nationals and they hold a valid Indian visa. Allow two to three hours for a short ride and return, and bring water and small notes for snacks sold on the platform.