Authorities in Afghanistan have signed contracts worth 264 million dollars for the design of a new railway. The line is supposed to connect Kandahar and Herat, covering a distance of 737 kilometres in the west of the country. Earlier, foreign parties expressed interest in an international corridor along that route.
International parties have been more and more vocal about their desire for a rail bridge across Afghanistan. Such a corridor could connect Central Asia to Pakistan and India via rail, and bring the Indian Ocean a step closer. It would also be beneficial to Russia, which could use the corridor to export energy products to India.
In the summer of 2024, Kazakh, Turkmen and Afghan authorities met to discuss a rail corridor through Afghanistan, specifically along the Herat – Kandahar axis. Turkmenistan already has an agreement with Afghanistan on the construction of a logistics centre in Torghundi, on the border of the two countries, according to Russian media. It is supposed to facilitate grain and container transportation, among other things.
Transit and import
Afghanistan has invited Kazakhstan to partake in the construction of the railway. Kazakhstan has floated the idea of providing rails to Afghanistan earlier, and has agreed to establish a joint venture with Uzbekistan to help build rail infrastructure in Afghanistan. Kabul has said that it takes an interest in functioning as a transit country, but international rail connections would also help the country to import more goods from China.
The design of the Herat – Kandahar railway should take around 8 months, according to Afghan media.