The Rs 60.5m study, which began in January, is being conducted by a consortium of Korean companies including Korea Transport Institute, Chungsuk Engineering, Kunwa Consulting and Engineering, Korea Rail Network Authority, together with local partners BDA Nepal and EMRC.
The study suggests three of the five lines should run largely on viaduct due to difficult ground conditions. Line 1 will run for 27.4km on an elevated alignment and will follow the city's ring road, serving the districts of Kalanki, Satdobato, and Chabhil.
Line 2 would run through the centre of the city linking Kalanki in the west with Sinamangal in the east. Line 3 would run from the south-eastern district of Koteshwor, near the city's international airport, to the city centre before terminating in the northern suburb of Gongabu. The north-south Line 4 will connect Maharajgunj with Satdobato, while Line 5 would link Balkhu in the west with Chabhil in the east.
According to local media reports the Nepalese government plans to tender construction on a build-operate-transfer basis.
