The proposed Trans-Afghan Railway has become the second most strategically important initiative for Uzbekistan after the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway, according to Deputy Minister of Transport Jasurbek Choriev.

While construction work on the CKU has kicked off and appears to be making modest progress, the Trans-Afghan Railway has only reached the feasibility study stage. However, when on July 17, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan inked a framework intergovernmental agreement to develop a feasibility paper for the railway line, they hailed the signing as a breakthrough moment.

The railway would take a route running from Termez, Uzbekistan, to Naibabad, Maidan Shar and Logar (all in Afghanistan) and through to Kharlachi (in Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan). Route mapping, geological surveys and economic and financial assessments will all form part of the study.

“This agreement is a crucial first step we’ve been aiming for over a long time. It will help justify the project not only for us, but also for our international partners,” Choriev said in an O’zbekiston 24 television interview.

The Central Asia-South Asia rail infrastructure—which Tashkent says would take five years to build—would provide tremendous gains such as expanded trade with Afghanistan, Pakistan and possibly India, and access to Pakistan’s Arabian Sea port of Karachi, directly linking to Indian Ocean shipping lanes. It would be a huge boost for the landlocked Central Asian countries and also for Russia, which lately became the first country to recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban administration. Vladimir Putin last week instructed officials to pursue a road-building programme that would include better road access to Russia’s border with Kazakhstan. China, which borders Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, could also benefit from transit options offered by the Trans-Afghan Railway.

In its initial phase, the railroad, as envisaged, would carry up to 3mn tonnes of cargo annually, and there are plans to scale up to 15-20mn tonnes by 2035–2040.

As always with any foreign-invested project in Afghanistan, the question of security comes up, but Uzbekistan says Kabul would provide security guarantees, including infrastructure protection, throughout all stages of construction.

Afghanistan itself is deeply interested in the development of transit corridors across its territory, vital for economic recovery and long-term stability, notes the Uzbek transport ministry.

The delivery of the Pakistan section of the railway will involve building through challenging mountainous terrain, requiring the construction of five tunnels and 312 bridges.

Asked about the project's strategic importance, Choriev said that the Trans-Afghan corridor is a shorter alternative to existing trade routes that go through Russia and Iran. Iran’s sole oceanic port, Chabahar, which also offers Indian Ocean shipping, is not far along the coast from Karachi, but the Pakistani port would be a simpler proposition for Central Asian trade should the Trans-Afghan Railway offer secure and efficient transportation.

Adding to hopes for a rollout of long-sought transit infrastructure in Afghanistan, on July 10, officials from Kazakhstan and Afghanistan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to construct a 115-km (71-mile) railway linking Towrgondi, on Afghanistan’s border with Turkmenistan, to the western Afghan city of Herat. 

Kazakhstan has committed $500mn in project funding as part of a broader infrastructure development programme.

The first phase of the project involves upgrading the freight terminal at Towrgondi—the current railhead of the 1,520mm-gauge line from Turkmenistan—and constructing a new 22-km section of railway to Sanobar, including sidings and storage infrastructure.

The second phase will add 90 km of new rail infrastructure extending to Robat Paryan, located on the outskirts of Herat. The final stage includes building an extension into Herat city centre, with a new station connecting to the 1,435mm-gauge line currently under construction between Khaf in Iran and Herat.