Uzbekistan and Pakistan Agree to Launch Afghan-Trans Railway Fieldwork

Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade has announced that Tashkent and Islamabad have reached an agreement to begin fieldwork on the Afghan-Trans railway project, a regional initiative designed to create a new transit route between Central and South Asia.

The agreement was made during the tenth meeting of the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission on trade, economic, and scientific-technical cooperation. The primary goal of the meeting was to review ways to implement joint projects and enhance coordination between the two countries.

The session was jointly chaired by Haroon Akhtar Khan, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Industry and Production, and Laziz Podetov, Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan. Both parties emphasized the need to revise the commission’s working structure to improve coordination and accelerate project implementation.

According to provided information, the Afghan-Trans railway project is approximately 647 kilometers long and will pass through Termez, Naibabad, Maydan Shahr, Logar, and Kharlachi before connecting to Pakistan’s railway network. This route will provide access to Karachi Port and other maritime terminals. The estimated cost of the project is $4.6 billion. Its successful execution depends on stability, transparent management, and effective cooperation within the Afghan transit regions.