Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan intend to build Trans-Afghan Railway
Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan are aiming at the construction of the Trans-Afghan railway. The relevant document was signed following the meeting of the working group of the three countries.
It is expected that the 760 km long highway will connect the railway networks of Uzbekistan and Pakistan through the territory of Afghanistan. Thus, its route will run through Termez in Uzbekistan, the Afghan cities of Mazar-I-Sharif and Logar, after which it will reach the territory of Pakistan at the Kharlachi border checkpoint in the Kurram district. The cost of the project reaches up to $ 6 billion.
Uzbekistan estimates that the railway will reduce the time of cargo delivery to Pakistan by about five days and reduce transportation costs by at least 40%. According to the Ministry of Railways of Pakistan, the construction of this highway will contribute to the optimization of regional, transit and bilateral trade between the countries, stimulate their economic growth.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. By 2030, trains will be able to transport up to 15 million tons of cargo per year along the Trans-Afghan highway.
The countries also agreed on a roadmap for technical research, identified sources of funding for the implementation of the project.
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