Iran, Afghanistan discuss finalization of Khaf-Herat railway project
The CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways said given the proximity of Iran, Afghanistan and China, the Khaf-Herat railway route is the only axis that can shorten transit time and reduce costs; thus, completing this railway according to a specific timeline has great importance.
Jabbarali Zakeri made the remarks in a meeting with Deputy Minister of Public Works and Head of the Afghan Railway Administration Mawlawi Mohammad Is’haq Sahebzadeh and his delegation. He emphasized that the Iranian railway organization is determined to assist Afghanistan in this respect, IRNA wrote.
Zakeri called for arranging a tripartite meeting among Iranian, Chinese, and Afghan authorities to pursue the implementation of the railway project, which was proposed by the Iranian railway officials.
He added that many of the problems faced by the Iranian and Afghan railway consortium have been resolved, and currently, three trains are operating weekly on the designated route.
The deputy minister also noted that in response to Afghanistan’s request, a third training course for Afghan railway staff will soon be held, both in-person and, if desired, partly online.
The construction of the Khaf-Herat railway, which links Khaf in eastern Iran with Herat in western Afghanistan, began back in 2007.
For his part, Sahebzadeh thanked the Iranian railway organization for training programs for 96 Afghan railway employees. He added that following the successful completion of the first and second training courses, they are now looking forward to the third course.
The Afghan official stated that the Khaf-Herat project symbolizes the friendship between the two countries, expressing hope that through joint cooperation, there will be an increase in the level of transit and cargo transport, resulting in the growth of trade between the two countries.
He emphasized that based on studies, there is significant cargo capacity along the China-Afghanistan-Iran route, assuring that Afghanistan is fully prepared to take the necessary steps alongside Iran in this regard.
The head of the Afghan Railway Administration also announced that engineering studies are underway for the construction of the Zaranj-Kandahar railway project, which, when connected to Zabul, will open a new chapter of cooperation and trade exchanges between the two countries.