Technical Studies Continue on the Trans-Afghan Railway Project Connecting Central and South Asia
Russian Railways has announced that its experts, together with Uzbekistan, are conducting technical and economic studies on the Trans-Afghan railway project. The initiative aims to establish a rail corridor linking Central Asia with South Asia through Afghanistan.
Sergey Pavlov, First Deputy General Director of Russian Railways, stated at the CIS Rail Transport Council meeting in Ashgabat that work on the project is ongoing, with both sides finalizing technical assessments. According to him, these studies will lay the groundwork for making a final decision on the project’s implementation.
According to the proposed plan, the railway will begin in Termez, Uzbekistan, pass through Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul in Afghanistan, and connect to Peshawar in Pakistan. This route is expected to play a significant role in expanding regional transit and trade, positioning Afghanistan as a key crossroads between Central and South Asia.
Domestically, the Afghan Ministry of Public Works, under Taliban administration, has announced its readiness to begin technical surveys. Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas, the ministry’s spokesperson, said a memorandum of understanding for technical studies among Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan has already been signed, and a company has been selected to conduct the surveys.
The roadmap for this project was initially signed in February 2021 in Tashkent between Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, but political developments in Afghanistan slowed progress. Later, in 2025, a feasibility study agreement was signed in Kabul among the Afghan Ministry of Public Works under Taliban rule, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, and Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways, boosting hopes for the practical revival of this regional project.
