Nepal Flood Wipes Out Gyirong Route, Raises Fresh Questions Over China’s BRI Railway to Kathmandu

The devastating flash floods in Nepal’s Himalayan region have destroyed the crucial Gyirong Land Port connecting Nepal with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, raising serious questions about the future of Beijing’s proposed Belt and Road Initiative railway linking Tibet to Kathmandu.

The Gyirong border complex, located in fragile Himalayan terrain, has suffered extensive destruction, with roads, bridges and other infrastructure buried under mud and debris. Rescue teams reaching the area reportedly found widespread devastation, highlighting the vulnerability of major infrastructure projects in the region.

The destruction of the Gyirong route has disrupted one of Nepal’s most important land connections with China. The disaster has also renewed scrutiny of the proposed China-Nepal railway project, which was first discussed in 2016 but has yet to move beyond feasibility studies.

A massive collapse involving glacier ice and rock in Nepal’s northern Langtang region on August 26 triggered destructive floods that sent water, mud and debris through the Lhende Khola, Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems. Communities, roads, bridges and hydropower projects were severely affected, while the Gyirong border crossing also suffered extensive damage.

The disaster killed more than 1,250 people and left thousands missing, while causing widespread destruction across northern and central Nepal. The scale of the tragedy has highlighted the dangers of constructing large infrastructure projects in narrow Himalayan valleys that are vulnerable to floods, landslides, earthquakes and glacial instability.

Gyirong, also known as Kyirong or Kerung, has long served as an important trade route between Tibet and Nepal. China formally opened the modern crossing to international users in 2014, and its importance increased after the 2015 Nepal earthquake damaged the older Zhangmu-Kodari route.

By 2024, the Gyirong crossing was handling a significant share of trade between China and Nepal. It was also an important overland route for travellers and pilgrims heading towards Tibet for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Its destruction has therefore affected trade, tourism, pilgrimage and local livelihoods.

The disaster has also placed renewed attention on China’s proposed railway project connecting Tibet with Kathmandu. The railway plan was proposed in 2016 and was later included in the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Under the proposed plan, China’s railway network would extend from Shigatse in Tibet towards Gyirong before crossing into Nepal’s Rasuwa district and continuing towards Kathmandu. While the Nepal section is comparatively short at around 72 kilometres, it presents some of the project’s biggest engineering challenges.

Earlier studies suggested that almost the entire Nepal section would require tunnels and bridges because of the steep and seismically active Himalayan landscape. The proposed route would pass through areas involving complex mountain terrain, unstable slopes and regions vulnerable to earthquakes and extreme weather events.

The cost of the project has also been a major concern. Earlier estimates placed the Nepal section at billions of dollars, while estimates for the wider Gyirong-Kathmandu railway project have been significantly higher. Nepal has sought grant-based funding for the project, while a final financing arrangement has not yet been confirmed.

Despite years of discussions and feasibility studies, construction on the railway has not started. The final route, overall cost and funding structure remain unresolved.

The recent floods have intensified concerns about whether the railway can be safely constructed in such a fragile Himalayan environment. Experts have called for fresh environmental assessments and stronger disaster-management planning before the project moves forward.

The destruction caused by the floods has demonstrated how quickly roads, bridges and other infrastructure can be overwhelmed by cascading events involving glacier ice, rock collapses, debris flows and rapidly rising water.

Researchers and experts have called for stronger cross-border cooperation between Nepal and China, including real-time monitoring systems for high-risk glacial lakes, improved early-warning mechanisms and comprehensive hydrological assessments.

Such assessments would need to examine the risks posed by unstable slopes, glacier lakes, rivers, seismic activity and debris flows across the Himalayan watershed.

The disaster also has wider implications for countries downstream of the Himalayas, including India. Major changes or disasters in the upper Himalayan region can affect river systems and populations far beyond Nepal and Tibet.

The destruction of Gyirong has therefore become more than a disruption to Nepal-China trade. It has exposed the vulnerability of infrastructure development in one of the world’s most fragile mountain regions and raised difficult questions about the future of large-scale BRI projects in the Himalayas.

As Nepal continues rescue and recovery operations, the proposed Tibet-Kathmandu railway faces renewed scrutiny. Before construction begins, China and Nepal may need to reassess whether the project can safely move through such unstable terrain and what additional safeguards would be required to protect communities, infrastructure and downstream regions.

The floods have destroyed a key connection between Nepal and China, but they may also reshape the future of one of the most ambitious railway projects proposed in the Himalayas.