On 17 July 2025, a tripartite meeting was held in Kabul, marking a significant step in strengthening regional connectivity between Central and South Asia. During the meeting, representatives from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Works, and Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways signed a framework agreement to develop the feasibility study (FS) for the Trans-Afghan Railway project.
The agreement outlines the route for which the feasibility study will be prepared—a 681-km section in Afghanistan along the route Termez (Uzbekistan) – Naibabad (Afghanistan) – Maidan Shahr (Afghanistan) – Logar (Afghanistan) – Kharlachi (Pakistan).
The Trans-Afghan Railway project along the route Termez – Mazar-i-Sharif – Kabul – Peshawar will span 774 km. Earlier, Uzbekistan’s news media reported that the project includes the construction of 1,212 additional facilities (including 336 bridges and 5 tunnels), 785 km of power lines, and 790 km of communication lines.
According to TOLO News, the project is estimated to cost between $4.8 billion and $7 billion, with completion expected by 2027. The railway is projected to accommodate up to 20 million tons of cargo annually, while Afghan experts anticipate that transshipment capacity could eventually reach 50 million tons. Transport costs are expected to be reduced by approximately 40%.
Strategic Importance
The railway will establish a new international transport corridor of Eurasian significance, ultimately connecting Russia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Southeast Asian countries. The project aims to boost trade, support Afghanistan’s economic recovery, and provide landlocked Central Asian countries with direct access to global markets through Pakistan’s ports of Gwadar and Karachi.
Afghan analysts note that the project will solidify Afghanistan’s role as a key transit hub between Central and South Asia, fostering economic growth, job creation, and infrastructure development.
Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov emphasized the project’s importance: “We signed a Tripartite Framework Agreement to develop the feasibility study for the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trans-Afghan Railway project, which holds strategic importance for all of Eurasia. This corridor will enhance trade, support Afghanistan’s economic recovery, and open new routes to global markets through southern ports.”
“The UAP Railway Corridor, a major milestone in advancing regional connectivity and economic integration, will connect Central Asian countries to Pakistani seaports through Afghanistan”, commented Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar.
Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, during a meeting with Saidov, highlighted that Afghanistan views “this project not only as a transit corridor, but as a symbol of shared prosperity.”
Trans-Afghanistan Connectivity
It is evident that Afghanistan offers Central Asia the shortest route to open seas, transforming the region from landlocked to land-linked, as the Trans-Afghan Corridor provides access to Pakistan’s maritime ports (Karachi, Gwadar), opening markets in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean.
The Trans-Afghan Corridor is not a single route but a network of transport routes, highways, and infrastructure projects united under the concept of Trans-Afghanistan connectivity. This includes railway, energy, and telecommunications projects that promote regional integration.
Afghanistan has three key railway connection points with Central Asia:
– Imamnazar – Aqina (Turkmen-Afghan border);
– Serhetabad (former, Kushka) – Torghundi (Turkmen-Afghan border);
– Termez – Mazar-i-Sharif (Uzbek-Afghan border).
These connections have the potential for further infrastructure expansion, strengthening regional transport links.
In October 2024, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan signed a Roadmap to achieve mutual trade turnover of $3 billion. The roadmap highlights partnership directions, including Kazakhstan’s participation in Afghanistan’s railway projects: Torghundi – Herat – Kandahar – Spin Boldak and Mazar-i-Sharif – Kharlachi.
Recently, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining the principles for constructing and operating a railway connecting Central and South Asia. This refers to the Torghundi – Herat railway, which will form part of the Trans-Afghan route. The project’s investment is estimated at approximately $500 million.
Turkmenistan and Afghanistan are implementing a cluster of Trans-Afghan projects, including:
– A 177-meter railway bridge along the Serhetabad – Torghundi line;
– The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline;
– An optical fiber communication line Serhetabad – Herat;
– The Torghundi – Sanabar section (first phase of the Torghundi – Herat railway);
– The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan (TAP) power transmission line.
In July 2024, a tripartite meeting in Aktau involving Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan resulted in an agreement to build a new railway line: Torghundi – Herat – Kandahar – Spin Boldak.
Additionally, the international transport corridor project Belarus – Russia – Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan (BRKUAP) is under consideration. This includes the construction of a Trans-Afghan railway with a 1,520-mm gauge (Russian standard) from Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan to Parachinar in Pakistan.
Importantly, these initiatives are not competing but complementary, serving as tools for diversifying logistics routes and integrating the region into global trade chains. ///nCa, 19 July 2025