KABUL: An estimated $5 billion “Trans-Afghan” railway line construction started connecting Termez to Kabul and Kabul to Peshawar, said Bakhtar News Agency quoting a Pakistani official the other day.
Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan started the practical steps to build the railway line to establish railway connections between Termez in Uzbekistan and Peshawar in Pakistan, said the agency quoting Mohammed Sadiq Khan Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.
The estimated value of the railway line project is equivalent to $5 billion.
The 600 km long railway line will provide access to the main ports of Central Asian countries in Pakistan, which will lead to the development of regional trade and relations.
With the full implementation of the plan, it will take 3-5 days to transport goods from Pakistan to Uzbekistan instead of 35 days, and the cost of transporting a standard cargo container can be reduced by almost 3 times.
At the same time, according to forecasts, the volume of cargo transportation on this route can reach 10 million tons.
Earlier, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, highlighted the special importance of this project in the context of his visit to Pakistan in March 2022.
Mirziyoyev said: “Termez – Mazar-e-Sharif – Kabul – Peshawar” railway line is our common future. When this line is completed, we will create the closest, lowest and safest corridor connecting Pakistan to Central Asia.
Although the Afghan Railway Administration has not reacted to the recent statements of Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Kabul has already emphasized on the practical start of the mentioned project.
Afghanistan has taken the definition of a communication bridge between South Asia and Central Asia.
The Afghan government believes that the use of such a project will strengthen the idea of growing balanced trade cooperation.
The Kabul Times
Trans-Afghan railway construction started
