Mostafa Rezaei, CEO of the Afghanistan Rail Development Consortium, has announced that 60000 tonnes of export and transit goods were transported to Afghanistan over the past year via the Khaf-Herat railway.
Speaking to IRNA, Rezaei stated that during the solar year 1402 (March 2023 – March 2024), 11500 tonnes of goods entered Afghanistan through the Shamtigh rail in Khaf district alone.
Of the total volume, approximately 20000 tonnes comprised railway construction materials, including sleepers, rails, and other infrastructure supplies. The remaining 40000 tonnes included export and transit goods.
Iran’s exports to Afghanistan primarily included cement, chemical fertilisers, and foodstuffs. Transit goods, originating from countries such as China, India, and the United Arab Emirates, consisted of items like soybean meal, iron products, and sugar.
Rezaei noted that the figures reflect a steady increase in rail trade between Iran and Afghanistan, highlighting the growing importance of the Khaf-Herat railway corridor.
The Shamtigh rail and customs crossing was inaugurated in 2020 in Khaf County, located in the southeastern part of Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province, and serves as a key trade gateway between the two nations.