Iranian firms start work on Afghan rail link to bolster China corridor
Iranian companies have begun construction of an 800-kilometer railway linking Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan, a project aimed at expanding regional rail connectivity and completing a transport corridor connecting Iran, Afghanistan and China, Iran's state railway chief said.
Jabbar Ali Zakari, deputy minister of roads and urban development, told ILNA that the project is being financed by the Afghan government and will be carried out under a "railway-for-minerals" arrangement, under which Iran will build the railway in return for participating in the development of and investment in Afghanistan's mining sector.
The chief executive of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways said the agreement was based on economic cooperation and the development of Afghanistan's mining potential.
He said completion of the railway would facilitate trade between Iran and Afghanistan, help connect the regional rail network to China, and strengthen Iran's position in international transport and freight transit corridors.
He had earlier told ILNA that freight traffic along the Afghan rail route was expected to continue growing, adding that Iran hoped cargo volumes on the route would reach about 3 million metric tons by March 21, 2027.