Uzbekistan Officially Joins Trans-Afghan Railway Project

Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of Uzbekistan, has officially signed the decree approving the country’s participation in the regional Trans-Afghan Railway project and ratified the framework agreement concerning the feasibility of the project.

According to Uzbek media reports, this agreement is a trilateral document between Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, originally signed on July 17, 2025, and now officially endorsed by Tashkent, moving the project into the implementation phase.

The cooperation agreement was signed between Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Works, and Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways. Its aim is to conduct technical and economic assessments of a railway route connecting Central Asia to South Asia through Afghanistan.

The Trans-Afghan Railway project, considered a significant regional initiative, has the potential to enhance Afghanistan’s role as a transit corridor. However, in recent years, given the country’s political and administrative situation, the project has faced persistent implementation challenges, along with demands for transparency and practical guarantees.