Trans-Afghan Railway to be built in five years

According to Zhasurbek Choriev, deputy minister of transportation in Uzbekistan, the railway from Termez in Uzbekistan to Peshawar in Pakistan through the Afghani cities of Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul will be finished in five years. The official made this statement during the international conference on Afghanistan in Tashkent, the Fergana news agency reported.

As Choriev noted, a feasibility report for the project will be prepared by September. The railway is going to be about 760 kilometers in length. Also, the project will require the construction of 136 bridges.

The railway from Termez to Mazar-i-Sharif has been working since 2011. This railway is going to be a part of the bigger transport project, the Trans-Afghan Railway. The entire project is estimated at $5 billion. 

It is expected that the new transportation route will cut delivery time for transporting goods from Europe to Central Asia and back. The period of transportation of goods from Pakistan to Uzbekistan will be cut from more than a month to 3-5 days.

In turn, Kazakhstan has shown its readiness to facilitate the Trans-Afghan Railway project. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that the country can provide the project with materials for railway and rail cars.