The construction of the Trans-Afghan Transport Corridor will give a new impetus to the dynamics of Kazakhstan's trade and economic exchanges with a number of countries, stated Serik Zhumingharin, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, Sputnik reports.
"Kazakhstan highly values the initiative of building the Mazar-i-Sharif – Kabul – Peshawar railway Trans-Afghan Transport Corridor, which will facilitate seamless interregional cooperation between the Central Asian countries and the countries of South Asia and the Middle East. This route will give a new boost to the dynamics of trade and economic exchanges," said Zhumingharin during the Kazakhstan-Afghanistan Business Forum.
In February 2021, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan signed a roadmap for the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway connecting Termez, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kabul, and Peshawar. In May of this year, a project office was opened in the Uzbek capital to coordinate the construction of the railway, and by mid-2023, the project feasibility study was planned to be prepared.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated in 2022 that Kazakhstan is ready to participate in the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway. Kazakhstan can ensure uninterrupted supply of railway track materials and provide rolling stock, said the President at that time.
According to the plan, the completion of the Trans-Afghan Railway construction is expected by the end of 2027. The approximate cost of the project is $4.6 billion, according to estimates from the Pakistani side, the implementation of the project is estimated at $8.2 billion.
The Trans-Afghan Railway initiative was proposed in 2018, and it involves the construction of a 573-kilometer railway, with a significant portion passing through the territory of Afghanistan.
CentralasianLIGHT.org,
August 4, 2023