Tashkent (TDI): Uzbekistan has approved a feasibility study for the construction of the Trans-Afghan railway, a regional transport corridor that will link Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
The decision follows a presidential resolution by Shavkat Mirziyoyev, endorsing an intergovernmental agreement between Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Works, and Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways to jointly prepare technical and economic documentation for the project.
The railway will run from Naibabad in Afghanistan to Kharlachi near the Pakistani border, formalizing cooperation on the next phase of a corridor first proposed by Tashkent in December 2018.
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The initiative aims to provide Central Asia with direct access to Pakistani seaports, enhancing trade and regional connectivity. Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been tasked with notifying Afghanistan and Pakistan that all domestic procedures required for the agreement to enter into force have been completed, The Times of Central Asia reported.
The revised route, agreed upon in July 2023, stretches from Termez to Naibabad, passing through Maidan Shahr and Logar, before reaching Kharlachi. This alignment bypasses the earlier proposed Torkham border crossing. Once integrated with Pakistan’s railway network, the corridor will connect cargo to the ports of Karachi, Gwadar, and Qasim.
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The project is expected to cover roughly 647 kilometers, with construction costs estimated at $6.9 billion, although earlier projections ranged from $4.6 billion to $7 billion.
Officials in Uzbekistan and partner countries regard the railway as a strategic link to strengthen regional transport networks, expand trade routes, and deepen economic integration between Central and South Asia.
