Over 100 Buses Stuck 36 Hours on Palung–Hetauda Road

A severe traffic snarl on the Palung–Hetauda stretch of Nepal’s Tribhuvan Highway has stranded more than 100 long‑distance buses and thousands of passengers for up to 36 hours, underscoring the growing pressure on this key diversion route between Hetauda and Kathmandu.

Blockage on Narrow Mountain Road Halts Long-Distance Traffic

According to published coverage of recent disruptions on the Hetauda–Palung–Naubise corridor, the latest incident unfolded after heavy traffic and road damage created a bottleneck on one of the narrowest sections of the Tribhuvan Highway. The winding mountain road, which connects Hetauda to Kathmandu via Palung and Naubise, has been carrying far more vehicles than it was originally designed to handle.

Reports indicate that a combination of road collapses, breakdowns and stalled heavy trucks on steep bends led to a near-total halt in movement along the Palung–Hetauda stretch. With no viable detour available in the immediate vicinity, passenger buses that had already entered the corridor were forced to remain on the spot, resulting in a backlog that stretched for many kilometres.

Local media describe the jam as lasting roughly a day and a half, with some vehicles stuck for about 36 hours before traffic began to move in phases. Many of the stranded buses were operating long routes linking Kathmandu with western and southern districts, turning what are already marathon journeys into multi-day ordeals inside stationary vehicles.

The situation has been aggravated by the ongoing problems on the Prithvi Highway near Krishnabhir in Dhading, where river erosion and road collapse have repeatedly restricted traffic. With the main highway toward Pokhara and much of western Nepal unreliable, vehicles have been diverted onto alternative corridors such as the Tribhuvan Highway, concentrating pressure on the Palung–Hetauda road.

Thousands of Passengers Stranded With Limited Services

Accounts from affected journeys suggest that several thousand passengers were caught in the gridlock between Palung and Hetauda, many of them families, migrant workers and students travelling toward Kathmandu or onward to other cities. As buses became immobilised along forested and sparsely populated stretches, travellers had minimal access to food, drinking water or toilets.

Publicly available information from earlier traffic blockages on the same corridor shows that vehicles often stop in areas with no settlements or roadside shops. In such conditions, passengers are typically confined to buses for hours at a time, stepping outside only briefly when the line of vehicles shifts forward by a few metres. For those with small children or elderly relatives, the lack of basic services can quickly become a serious hardship.

During the latest jam, local traders in some accessible villages reportedly attempted to meet the surge in demand by selling bottled water and instant snacks at improvised stalls. However, buses stuck in more remote sections had little recourse. Passengers on these vehicles depended largely on whatever food they had packed for the journey, sharing among themselves as supplies dwindled.

As the standstill stretched on, overcrowding and fatigue added to the discomfort. Some travellers reportedly chose to walk between vehicles to look for information or supplies, navigating narrow gaps on the cliff-edge road while loaded trucks and buses remained wedged in both directions.

Tribhuvan Highway Under Strain After Prithvi Highway Disruptions

The bottleneck highlights how fragile Nepal’s main overland links to Kathmandu have become in the current monsoon and post-monsoon period. After the Trishuli River damaged a section of the Prithvi Highway at Krishnabhir, long-distance trucks and large passenger buses were widely diverted through Makwanpur, using the Hetauda–Palung–Naubise route as a primary alternative.

Recent reporting from Hetauda notes that sections of the Tribhuvan Highway, built decades ago to carry a fraction of the current load, have been handling thousands of heavy freight trucks and passenger buses each day. On hairpin bends where large vehicles struggle to turn in a single maneuver, drivers often need to reverse repeatedly, causing queues that can quickly expand into full-scale traffic jams when a breakdown or road failure occurs.

Several landslides and partial road collapses have been documented this season, including a section near Bhimphedi where the lower part of the carriageway recently gave way and forced vehicles to operate on a single lane. Even short-lived disruptions in these choke points can trigger hours of backups, particularly when movements are being controlled in timed intervals from Hetauda and Simbhanjyang.

Public notices earlier in the month outlined time windows for convoys to move from Hetauda toward Kathmandu and vice versa, in an attempt to manage the heavy flow across the fragile road. When the latest incident trapped more than 100 buses, these schedules were effectively suspended until traffic units could gradually clear stranded vehicles from the most congested bends.

Safety and Comfort Concerns for Domestic and International Travelers

The Palung–Hetauda snarl underscores growing safety concerns on alternative roads being used by both domestic and international travelers. The Tribhuvan Highway, and connecting routes via Hetauda and Kulekhani, have become recommended detours for those trying to reach Kathmandu from cities such as Pokhara and Butwal during repeated closures on the Prithvi Highway.

Travel information shared publicly in recent weeks has warned that journey times on these alternatives can stretch to 10 to 15 hours or more even in relatively stable conditions. For buses caught in multi-hour or multi-day jams, the risks increase, particularly at night, when many vehicles must remain parked on steep, narrow segments with limited guardrails, lighting or emergency services.

Comfort is another issue for tourism-focused operators that normally promote “luxury” or “tourist” buses on the main highway. Once these coaches are funnelled into a long, unmanaged queue on the mountain road, amenities such as onboard toilets or meal stops cannot compensate for the lack of safe rest areas and the uncertainty over when travel will resume.

Travelers planning routes into or out of Kathmandu are increasingly advised, in public travel forums and local media, to confirm the same-day status of both the Prithvi Highway and the Hetauda–Palung–Naubise corridor. Recommendations typically include travelling in daylight hours when possible, choosing experienced operators familiar with the mountain roads, and carrying sufficient water, snacks and any necessary medication in case of unexpected delays.

Calls for Stronger Contingency Planning on Key Travel Corridors

The latest mass stranding on the Palung–Hetauda road is likely to intensify debate about the resilience of Nepal’s core road network and its capacity to cope with climate-related disruptions. As landslides, river erosion and road subsidence become more frequent, incidents where hundreds of vehicles are immobilised for extended periods have broad implications for tourism, trade and everyday mobility.

Transport experts and commentators in Nepali media have increasingly argued that contingency planning for such corridors must go beyond ad hoc diversions. Suggested measures include rapid-response maintenance units for known choke points, better real-time information for drivers and passengers, and pre-identified lay-by areas where vehicles can be held safely when traffic needs to be staggered.

There is also growing discussion about balancing freight and passenger flows when diversions are in place. Heavy trucks are essential for supplying Kathmandu and other urban centres, but they also contribute significantly to congestion and road damage on narrow mountain highways. More systematic scheduling of truck convoys, with separate windows for buses where feasible, is one of the ideas gaining attention.

For now, publicly available reporting indicates that traffic along the Tribhuvan Highway continues to operate under heavy strain, with occasional one-way controls and periodic closures for emergency repairs. While movement has reportedly resumed after the 36-hour standstill on the Palung–Hetauda stretch, the episode serves as another warning that travellers in Nepal’s hill districts must be prepared for unpredictable delays on routes that are increasingly operating at their limits.