Khaf-Herat Railway becomes operational
The first train along the Khaf-Herat Railway entered Rozanak Station after Iran and Afghanistan’s agreement in December 2022 to repair the damages incurred to Rozanak Station in order to resume the operation of the Khaf-Herat Railway.
After repairing the damages incurred to Khaf-Herat Railway in the Rozanak Station, the first train enters this station in Herat, so the operation of Khaf-Herat Railway was launched, reported Tasnim news agency.
Moreover, during a formal visit of Iranian transport officials to Afghanistan, the two countries negotiated cooperation in the completion of the Afghanistan railway as well as the operation of existing lines.
The Khaf-Herat Railway was inaugurated in December 2020 during a formal ceremony attended by former Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and former Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani.
Afterwards, the third section of Khaf-Herat Railway, from Shamtiq to Rozanak, was delivered to the Afghanistan Railroad Administration. However, later on some damages were incurred to parts of the routes and to the Rozanak Station, which halted the transit operation.
Resuming transit through the Khaf-Herat Railway is one of the priorities of infrastructural projects for both countries, as the rail route facilitates freight transit and passenger transport. Further, the railway provides Afghanistan with access to the high seas and the neighboring countries.
The cross-border Khaf-Herat Railway Project is about 225 kilometers long, linking eastern Iran to western Afghanistan.
The first two sections, covering a total length of 78km, extend from the city of Khaf to the border in Khorasan Razavi Province in Iran.
Sections three and four together measure 147km long and stretch from the border at Shamtiq to Rozanak before heading to Herat.