AFGHANISTAN: Acting Minister of Public Works Mohammad Issa Sani has signed five contracts for domestic companies to produce detailed designs for a 737·5 km railway from Herat to Kandahar.
The contracts announced by the ministry on February 6 have a total value of 264m afghanis. The studies are to be completed within eight months.
The ministry said the start of practical work for the project would be dependent on the budget and financing being finalised.
The 1 435 mm gauge line from Khaf in Iran is currently being extended towards Herat, work on the project having resumed following the Taliban takeover. There are also ambitions to extend the 1 520 mm gauge railway from Turkmenistan which currently terminates at Towraghondi onwards to Herat.
There have been various proposals over the years for a line linking Kandahar to the 1 676 mm gauge railhead at Chaman in Pakistan.
| Section | Route | Length, km | Contract value, afghanis | Contractor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herat – Shindand | 120 | 51 978 999 | Afghan-German Construction, Road Construction and Railway Company |
| 2 | Shindand – Farah | 120 | 45 631 267 | Hask Engineering Services Company |
| 3 | Farah – Zaranj – Ghor Ghori | 188·8 | 69 278 567 | Hask Engineering Services Company |
| 4 | Ghor Ghori – Lashkargah | 171 | 60 331 408 | Arya Khan Afghan Construction, Road Construction and Logistics Services Company |
| 5 | Lashkargah – Kandahar | 137·7 | 37 315 742 | Arya Khan Afghan Construction, Road Construction and Logistics Services Company |
