Kathmandu Podway to build Nepal’s first podway line in Biratnagar

KATHMANDU: The Koshi Provincial Investment Authority and Kathmandu Podway Company Pvt Ltd have signed an agreement to build Nepal’s first podway system.

Koshi Provincial Investment Authority Chief Executive Officer Saroj Koirala and Kathmandu Podway Company Vice President Nil Bhattarai signed the agreement.

A podway is an automated, electric public transit system in which small driverless pods travel on dedicated elevated tracks.

The privately funded project will build a seven-kilometer pilot podway line in the first phase. The line will link Rani Customs Point along the Nepal-India border with the Biratnagar Bus Park. In the second phase, the line is planned to be extended to the Bhedetar hill station.

According to the agreement, the project will be implemented in line with the National Transport Policy and relevant legal framework. The podway system will incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies.

Project officials say the system is expected to provide a safe, fast and environmentally friendly mode of transport while helping reduce road congestion and pollution.

Speaking after the signing ceremony, Bhattarai said the project will be one of the country’s largest and most advanced public transportation infrastructure projects developed through private sector investment.

He said the agreement marks the beginning of a new chapter in Nepal’s public transportation sector by introducing world-class transit technology and expanding modern transport infrastructure.