On Tuesday, 11 July, the Khaf-Herat railway connecting the west of Afghanistan and the eastern province of Iran was formally commissioned, according to Afghan and Iranian news outlets.
The Khaf-Herat cross-border railway with a length of about 225 km consists of four segments. The first two sections with a total length of 78 km stretch from Khaf in Razavi Khorasan province of Iran to the border with Afghanistan.
147 km-long third and fourth segments run along the route – Shamtiq border station (Iran) – Rozanak station (Afghanistan) – Herat.
Speaking at the train arrival ceremony in Rozanak, the head of the Interim Government of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, welcomed this step as vital for strengthening economic relations in the region, saying that the railway network could connect Afghanistan with Iran, and onward with Turkey and Europe.
Mujahid noted that in the future the railway will also transport passengers, in addition to transporting commercial cargo.
It is also planned to extend a railway to the port of Chabahar in southeastern Iran, which will allow Afghanistan to improve trade through transport links with Central Asia, Turkey and Europe.
The first test train on the Khaf-Herat rail line travelled in May of this year.
Earlier, in December 2022, Iran and Afghanistan agreed to resume the operation of the Khaf-Herat railway within six months after the repair work. Under this agreement, the Afghan Railways Administration assumed responsibility for repairing the damage, and the Iranian Company for the Construction and Development of Transport Infrastructure supervised the work.
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According to the Railway Authority of Afghanistan, on Wednesday, 12 July, Iran and Afghanistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of railway cooperation. The document was inked by the Director General of the Railway Authority of Afghanistan Bakht ur-Rahman Sharaft, and representatives of the Iranian delegation.
Following the signing ceremony, Iranian officials stressed their readiness to build the Khaf-Herat railway. Iranian government representatives have emphasized their interest in revival the Silk Road though building this line. ///nCa, 13 July 2023 [photo credit – Tehran Times, Railway Authority of Afghanistan ]
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