Guide · Janakpur
Janakpur by train (yes, train)
Nepal has one passenger railway. It runs to Janakpur. A short report on what the journey is like.
Janakpur by train
Did you know Nepal has a passenger railway?
The Janakpur–Jaynagar line, which runs from the Mithila plains across the Indian border, is Nepal's only operational passenger train. After years of disrepair the new Indian-supplied DEMU coaches now run a daily service.
The journey from Janakpur to the border at Bijalpura is short — under an hour. But the experience is the point. The train is full of people who use it for genuinely practical reasons. Vendors, students, traders. The fields slide past. The train smells of metal and tea.
I went in November. The fare was under Rs 100. The seats were padded. The conductor came through clipping tickets, exactly like a real railway. I forgot I was in Nepal for a few minutes.
Janakpur deserves more visitors anyway. The Janaki Mandir. The kunds. Mithila painting in the streets. Go see it. And take the train at least once while you are there.