On Tuesday evening, a significant development unfolded in Afghanistan as the Taliban-run Afghanistan Railway Authority (ARA) inked a pivotal agreement with the Iranian Railway Consortium.
This agreement focuses on the operation of the Khaf-Herat railway line, a crucial transportation link in the region. The signing ceremony took place in the capital city of Kabul, with senior Taliban officials in attendance, underscoring the strategic importance of this railway project.
Notably, this comes on the heels of the completion of phase three of the railway line; ARA has already announced plans to commence work on the fourth phase next week, signalling a promising step forward in enhancing connectivity and trade in the region.
During the signing ceremony, Bakhtur Rahman Sharaf, the director-general of ARA, emphasized Afghanistan’s commitment to the Khaf-Herat railway line expansion.
Afghanistan will offer technical assistance and locomotives to support the project. In response, the Iranian consortium representatives pledged to transport a minimum of 100,000 metric tons of goods on this line within the first year.
The Khaf-Herat Railway Project is a vital 225 km-long cross-border railway connecting eastern Iran to western Afghanistan, promising improved regional connectivity and trade opportunities.
In July, a new section of the Khaf-Herat railway project was launched, connecting Khaf in northeastern Iran to Rozanak in Afghanistan’s Herat Province. This railway, part of a more extensive 2,000-kilometer-long East-West railroad, aims to provide landlocked Afghanistan access to seaports via Iran, including the Chabahar port.
The signing of Tuesday’s agreement followed a significant trade delegation from Iran participating in the “Meeting of the Economic Delegation of Iran and Afghanistan” in Kabul the previous day.
