Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway project implementation basis is being laid
The Governments of Tajikistan and Afghanistan signed in Dushanbe on Monday, December 30, 2019, the Agreement for the Jaloliddin Balkhi (Kolhozobod)-Jaihun-Nizhny Pianj-Sherkhan Bandar (Afghanistan) railway construction the Tajik News Agency Avesta reported. According to the press center of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Tajikistan, the document was signed by Khudoyer Khudoyerzoda, Minister of Transport of Tajikistan, and Muammad Yamo Shams, Railways Department Head of Afghanistan. The preparation of this agreement started in July last year according to the agreement reached between the parties during a meeting of the Tajik-Afghan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation. The Ministry of Transport specifies the strategic importance of the agreement, which creates the basis for the implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway project. This agreement also contributes to the implementation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran railway project with the opportunity of future access to the seaports of Bandar Abbas, Chorbakhor and Gavdarav. To finance the feasibility study of the Jaloliddin Balkhi-Jaihun-Nizhny Pianj-Sherkhan Bandar railway project, meetings were held with representatives of the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Tajikistan has recently approved a plan to build a railway line connecting the country to Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The Governments of Tajikistan and Afghanistan have signed the relevant draft agreement. The document provides for the construction of a line along the route from the Jaloliddin Balkhi region to Nizhny Pianj (Tajikistan) and further to Afghan Sherkhan Bandar. The line will run through the territory of Afghanistan towards Sherkhan Bandar-Kunduz-Mazar-i-Sharif-Shibirgan-Andkhoy-Akina. The future railway line will connect Tajikistan and Afghanistan to Turkmenistan. The Turkmen railway builders laid Turkmen and partially Afghan part of this railway back in 2016. The 85 km long section was built along the Atamyrat-Imamnazar line. In summer this year, Afghanistan commenced work on laying its part of the road. Currently, the railway section is under construction from the Afghan station of Akina to the city of Andkhoy. The Memorandum on the Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Turkmenistan railway construction was signed by the Presidents of the three countries in 2013. This project was initiated by Ashgabat.
