Latest Afghan rail news – Page 2

  • A ceremony to mark the completion of work to upgrade the 13 km rail link between Serhetabat in Turkmenistan and Towraghondi in Afghanistan took place on February 23.
    News

    Turkmenistan – Afghanistan railway modernised

    2018-02-26T15:11:46Z

    ASIA: A ceremony to mark the completion of work to upgrade the 13 km rail link between Serhetabat in southern Turkmenistan and Towraghondi in northern Afghanistan took place on February 23. This formed part of a pair of ceremonies which were held in Turkmenistan and Afghanistan to mark the completion ...

  • An 88 km railway from Atamyrat in Turkmenistan to the Ymamnazar border crossing and Akina in Afghanistan was opened by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President Ashraf Ghani.
    News

    Afghanistan and Turkmenistan open Lapis Lazuli railway

    2016-11-28T10:20:00Z

    ASIA: A line running 85 km from Atamyrat in Turkmenistan to the Ymamnazar border crossing point and 3 km onwards to Afghanistan’s border facilities at Akina was officially opened by Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani who ceremonially tightened a golden bolt on November 28. The 1 ...

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    News

    Chinese freight train reaches Hairatan

    2016-09-07T16:10:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: The first through freight train from China was formally welcomed into the northern rail port at Hairatan on September 7, although it was reported to have arrived a day earlier following a 3 000 km transit taking 14 days. With the locomotive carrying a headboard proclaiming Central Asia Train: ...

  • Canarail is to undertake a feasibility study for the proposed railway from Herat to Towraghondi in Afghanistan.
    News

    Herat railway feasibility study contract signed

    2016-04-18T05:00:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: The Ministry of Public Works has awarded Canadian consultancy Canarail a contract to undertake a technical feasibility study for a proposed railway which would run from the northwestern city of Herat to the railfreight terminal at Towraghondi on the border with Turkmenistan. The contract was signed on April ...

  • Railway from Hairatan to Mazar-i-Sharif (Photo: David Brice).
    News

    Afghan railway tendering begins

    2014-11-05T07:00:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: The Afghanistan Railway Authority has invited expressions of interest in three performance-based contracts to operate, maintain and manage the 75 km railway from Hairatan on the Uzbek border to a freight terminal near Mazar-i-Sharif. Responses from ‘experienced, high calibre and competent national and international’ companies should be submitted to ...

  • Iranian Islamic Republic Railways has signed a memorandum of understanding to provide the Afghanistan Railway Authority with training support.
    News

    Iran shares railway expertise with Afghanistan

    2014-06-27T06:00:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: Iranian Islamic Republic Railways has signed a memorandum of understanding to provide the Afghanistan Railway Authority with training to support its plans for railway development and expansion. RAI said Iran would send technical experts to advise on railway organisation, maintenance and construction, to help accelerate the development of the ...

  • The proposed lines would link to the existing 75 km line from Hairatan to Mazar-i-Sharif.
    News

    Afghan government commissions east - west rail study

    2013-12-11T16:36:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: The Ministry of Public Works has commissioned a feasibility study for a proposed 300 km east - west railway across northern Afghanistan. The C$3·7m contract announced on December 11 has been awarded to Systra's Canadian freight railway consultancy Canarail and its partner Appleton Consulting Inc, which specialises in programme ...

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    News

    Three presidents launch construction of international rail link

    2013-06-06T07:41:00Z

    TURKMENISTAN: President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was joined by his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai and Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon in Atamyrat on June 5 for a ceremony to launch construction of the first phase of a railway planned to link the three countries. A time capsule containing a letter ‘addressed to posterity’ by ...

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    News

    Three countries agree rail link co-ordination

    2013-04-25T06:00:00Z

    ASIA: The first meeting of a working group to co-ordinate the construction of railway branches from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan into Afghanistan and a line linking them through northern Afghanistan was held on April 18. This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the presidents of the three countries ...

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    News

    Central Asian strategic transport plan agreed

    2012-11-05T05:00:00Z

    ASIA: Meeting at Wuhan in China at the end of October, ministers from the 10 Central Asia Regional Economic Co-operation Program countries agreed an action plan to implement transport infrastructure projects costing more than US$23bn, together with energy and trade initiatives aimed at improving connectivity. The majority of the medium-term ...

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    News

    Local rail specialists needed

    2012-08-24T04:00:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: The government is keen to ‘eliminate the lack of rail experts’ in the country as it seeks to develop its embryonic network, according to Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi, Minister of Trade & Industry. Speaking during a visit to the border town of Hairatan on June 22, ul-Huq said that ‘we ...

  • First revenue train on the 75 km rail link from Hairatan arrives at Naibabad near Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan.
    News

    Afghan railway starts commercial traffic

    2012-02-03T10:14:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: Celebrations were held at Naibabad freight terminal at 12.00 on February 3, when ‘a substantial reception party’ greeted the arrival of the first train carrying commercial traffic on the 75 km rail link between Hairatan and Mazar-i-Sharif. The inaugural load comprised nine wagons of flour from Kazakhstan and ...

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    News

    Afghan railway ambitions awarded funding

    2011-11-04T05:00:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: Plans for east–west and north–south railways are making progress, with Asian Development Bank approving a US$754m multi-tranche package of transport assistance in September. As well as road rehabilitation this includes around US$300m for the extension of the recently-completed 75 km Hayratan – Mazar-i-Sharif railway 225 km west to Andkhvoy. ...

  • Afghan railway (Photo: US Embassy Kabul)
    News

    First major Afghan railway completed

    2011-08-25T16:56:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: Freight services reportedly began running on Afghanistan's first major railway on August 20-21. This followed the signing on August 4 of a three-year agreement for Uzbek national railway UTY to operate the 75 km 1 520 mm gauge line, which it built at a cost of US$165m using Asian ...

  • Hayratan.
    News

    Afghan rail strategy takes shape

    2010-06-28T04:00:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: As work progresses rapidly on Afghanistan's first substantial railway, plans are firming up for a 1000 km standard gauge corridor running across the north of the country. This would give Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and potentially China access to world markets via the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas without requiring transit ...

  • Hayratan.
    News

    Construction of Afghan railway launched

    2010-01-27T09:57:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: A ceremony on January 22 marked the start of construction of a 75 km rail link from Uzbekistan to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. The line is being built by Uzbek national railway UTY, which said it will be 'a vivid testimony to the friendly relations between ...

  • Uzbek Railways locomotive at Hayratan (Photo: David Brice).
    News

    Afghan railway to go ahead with ADB funding

    2009-09-30T11:37:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: Construction of a rail link to Mazar-i-Sharif is set to go ahead following Asian Development Bank's announcement of an US$165m grant on September 30. The Afghan government will provide US$5m towards the US$170m project, which is to be undertaken by Uzbek Railways under the supervision of the Afghan ...

  • News

    Europe to China through Afghanistan

    2008-08-29T13:59:00Z

    Letter to the Editor

  • News

    Opening up Afghan trade route to Iran

    2008-01-29T12:00:00Z

    Construction of a 191 km railway from Iran to Herat in Afghanistan, with the prospect of an extension across Afghan territory to Sher Khan Bandar, promises to stimulate trade with Central Asia. Murray Hughes reports

  • News

    Afghan rebuild underway

    2007-07-12T14:17:00Z

    AFGHANISTAN: Ceremonies were held at Towraghondi in Afghanistan and Serhetabat in Turkmenistan on July 11, marking the start of work to rehabilitate 2 km of cross-border railway. The cost of the reconstruction is put at US$550 000, which Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov told Afghan President Hamid Karzai his country will ...