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 planned network. A group of Afghans attended training courses organised by RAI in Yazd and Bafgh during June, visiting depots, bridges and other facilities.
Afghanistan currently has a 75 km railway from Uzbekistan to Mazar-i-Sharif, while a short cross-border branch from Turkmenistan serves a freight terminal. A line from Iran to Herat is under construction with Iranian government support, and according to RAI Vice-President, Operations, Hossein Ashoori, is expected to open as far as the Afghan border by end of this year.
